Diligence

My husband, Steve, enjoys gardening. Not surprisingly, we both enjoy our landscaping the most when it looks its best. Steve reminds me often, that if there is one square inch of planted area in anyone's yard that doesn't have weeds growing in it, someone obviously took the time to pull the weeds.

I started feeling guilty yesterday, when I knew Steve went outside several times, despite the heat, to pull countless weeds. I was working in the air-conditioned comfort of our home, but I felt the tug to go out and pull my share of our weed crop.

After pulling my hair up and donning my oldest clothes, I grabbed my gloves, trowel, and weed bin, and set off to tackle the weeds on the hillside closest to the road. 'Out of control' is the only way I could describe the mess of weeds that stared back at me. I was tempted to abandon my mission and head back into the house. Thoughts of Steve, sweating in the heat, stopped me and I stooped down and got to work.

As I began looking at the weeds I was pulling, it was interesting to see that there were really only a few kinds: crab grass, clover, and tall, tuberous ones with shallow roots. Once again, I was reminded of the similarity between the weeds on my hillside and the sin in my life. Usually I tend to struggle with two or three areas in my life that tend to be what the Apostle Paul referred to as 'besetting' sins (Hebrews 12:1). These are the things that surround us or attack us from all sides, according to the American Heritage Dictionary. They can range from self-centeredness to any number of addictions. It's a conscious, daily battle to experience victory in these areas.

When I allow God to put His finger on the 'weeds of sin' in my life and gently extricate them from the soil of my heart, I know I am much more pleasing to Him and able to be used by Him. According to John 10:10, Christ says, "...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (KJV) His desire is to give me victory over my 'crop of weeds.' His will for me is to be conformed more and more into His image - one day at a time. Will you give Him access to your 'weeds?'