Recently, we had new grass put in our yard, and have spent many days giving it the loving care it’s been denied for so long. We’re hoping for a lush emerald green lawn on which to relax.
Sadly, our new lawn has weeds … a lot of them. They are spreading and choking out our newly planted grass. We soon learned that there is no weed-killer here.
At first we would casually pick out the “weird” looking grass to keep our lawn looking pretty. But we quickly realized that we weren’t getting rid of the weed, just merely giving it a haircut.
There is but one way to get rid of weeds here: to pull them out by hand. And it’s hard and painful work. Yet strangely satisfying.
Once we began getting our hands dirty, uprooting the pesky squatters, we discovered our weed problem was far more invasive than we realized. Each of those weeds had a network of roots spreading all over our yard. Ripping them out completely required disturbing the seemingly healthy grass areas – you know, the “pretty” areas.
Our yard became ugly again as we removed the deadly weeds. It was a mess. To be honest, we wondered if it was worth it. But it was! We are now enjoying picnics and sweet family time out on our green lawn!
This led to beautiful spiritual discussions with our children about the deadly effects of sin. When ignored or only casually picked at, sin will grow a web of disease that permeates our hearts and lives. It may only appear small and insignificant from the surface, but underneath it is wreaking havoc that will require hard work and much pain to uproot.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, we must daily wage war against our sin and uproot the weeds that pop up in our hearts, and then, by the grace of God, choose righteousness … and flourish.
Beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1
