Weeds

The last couple of weeks have been stressful. Work stuff piled up as an ever growing to-do list was at war with two very firm deadlines. Stress built, tension built, and I was an emotional wreck. One day last week I started working at 6:00 am and largely sat in the same place steadily working until 10:00 pm. And I didn’t feel any closer to being done than I did before.

I’ve learned that one of the ways I relax is to spend time in our garden. Life can be going a million miles per hour and it all slows when I crouch or kneel next to a bed of vegetables.

The chores of having a garden are fairly simply and repetitive. Fertilize the soil. Plant things at the right time. Water when its dry. Pull weeds. Harvest. Repeat.

The back-to-basics simplicity is what brings me so much joy. Fresh, organic fruits and vegetables are merely the by-product of the primary benefit.

Each weed I pull it releases a little bit of tension. In the past couple of weeks, the warmer weather arriving forced me to water more… which resulted in weeds springing up everywhere. That was perfect! Because I had plenty of tension, frustration, and anxiety to pull out with each weed as well.

Pulling weeds has a strong tie to my life with Jesus, too.

Here are a few things I’m reminded of as I weed my garden:

• You can’t just weed once per week.It’s better to weed a little bit each day.
• Weeds like fertile soil just as much as crop producing plants. Where there is growth there will be weeds.
• Sometimes you have to be gentle when you pull out a weed. It’s roots my be intertwined with roots of a good plant.
• Some weeds have thorns and smell bad. But others are pretty and you’re tempted to keep them. Don’t.
• Bugs eat your fruits and vegetables. For some reason they leave weeds alone.
• Even the best gardeners pull weeds. You never get above it… you just get better at it. And some just get better at hiding the evidence.
• Weeding the garden is work. It’s an easy skill but it is always going to get you dirty and always going to make you sweat.

What are some other parallels between taking care of your garden and your walk with Christ?