“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food (Genesis 3:17-19)
When we moved into our home twelve years ago, I imagined gardens of flowers, vegetables growing, blooms that made people who were walking their dog stop and take notice. I painfully sat on my little wagon-like “Lawn Buddy” and inched along the flower bed, planting, then weeding, then weeding again. . . and again. It was not fun. The physical pain that lasted for the next few days was not worth the price I paid for days.
Now I know what to plant that requires very little work, including watering. Birds of Paradise flowering plants and succulents adorn my yard. Lots and lots of succulents.
Adam and Even ate the fruit. So much has happened in our world, and even our own individual lives, because of their impulsive choice. And one of the consequences was weeds. Did you know before Adam and Eve sinned there were no weeds? Only flower beds that showered people with color; Plants that grew indefinitely. No thorny plants poking their heads up through the flowers, taking over their beauty.
According to Wikapedia, “A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance. The term is often used to describe any plants that grow and reproduce aggressively. . . in an undesired place.”
Before sin, Eve must surely been out there admiring God’s beauty that came in so many colors. She never had to tell Adam, “Honey, the lawn needs mowed and could you throw some weed killer down and then fertilizer for the grass?” Did she ever pick some flowers to bring into her dwelling and sit on the table? Did she even have a table, or just a large bolder? They lived in a garden we can hardly imagine.
And then came weeds. Adam couldn’t sit around and bird watch any longer. The weeds were taking over and they needed to eat! It wasn’t about keeping the yard looking pretty; it was about sweating all day so you had food for dinner and the next day. At this time, they were vegetarians, so the plants and crops were all they had for protein and vitamins.
We all have weeds in our life and we can pull them out only one weed at a time. When we attempt to change ourself and get rid of some of the thorns, we are often overwhelmed as we try to pull up all the weeds in our life at the same time. But while some need pulled, there are others that need a shovel to dig out the roots. Some even need weed killer and a time to sit and let it work before we grab them an yank them up.
When you are attempting to grow in Christ, and make significant changes in your character as well as the logistics in your life, don’t feel overwhelmed when you start weeding the garden of your life. Don’t quit. Instead, tackle them one weed at a time with the original gardener, God, beside you all the way.
About the author:
Lisa Copen is the founder of Rest Ministries and she lives in San Diego with her husband and son. She is gradually learning how to balance motherhood, family, illness, and ministry, but she still knows it will be a lifetime lesson. You can see the books she has written, including, Why Can’t I Make People Understand? at the Rest Ministries shop.
You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com
Have you ever tried to make some major changes in your life, and instead felt overwhelmed by it all and quit? Does remembering that all the weeds in your life have different levels of resistance help you remember that some take longer than others?
this one has me grinning, thanks Lisa.
2 weeks ago I was sharing a reflection about weeds – kind of opposite to your thought here.
I planted some poppy seeds late last year, and only seemed to get ugly, thorny weeds appear. Somehow I went against every impulse to pull up everything, and left some of them. …and today my first poppy bloomed atop one fo these ugly, thorny tufts! I had been so convinced they were weeds, but they were actually what I’d been longing for.
Moral of my reflection: yes, we need to weed our lives, but how often do we miss blessings by too hastily labelling something (or someone) a weed that is really a delightful treasure in an ugly suit?
Sometimes there are just too many weeds , just too much pain ,isolation, aloneness, etc and you long for the break from it that never comes