Weeds

When I was very small, still first or second grade, my family had a big garden. I can remember Mommy and Daddy spending hours tilling, planting, and weeding our garden spot. As I watched them weeding, I noticed that there were A LOT of plants that were "weeds" in the garden. Having always been an information collector and word person, I asked what "weed" meant. Given the context (our garden) my parents told me that a weed is "any plant growing somewhere you don't want it". I had earlier asked why we were pulling grass out of the garden, because we wanted grass in the yard, so this definition cleared up all my confusion.

weed: noun 1. a valueless plant growing wild, especially one that grows on cultivated ground to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop

Shorty and I don't have a garden. I'm not really an outside person. But we do have a yard. While there is some nice grass, we have large chunks of weeds or bare dirt. We would like better grass and fewer bare spots, but at present we don't think it wise to devote our resources to cultivating the lawn. And weeds flourish with no cultivation whatsoever, so they can be quite difficult to remove.

I've been really battling with bitterness and self-pity recently. There are a number of circumstances I could describe, and others that I can't, which revealed this to me. I learned a number of years ago that the best way for me to fight bitterness and self-pity in my heart is to intentionally think on things for which I am thankful. Sometimes that is extremely hard! It's actually kind of like weeding a lawn or garden. Thankfulness can flourish and spread in my still-sinful heart, but not nearly as easily as bitterness. Like with my lawn, I have to be intentional to feed thankfulness (the grass) and starve or tear out bitterness and self-pity (weeds). Again, this is hard! If you've ever pulled weeds from lawn or garden, you know that their roots tend to be very long, sometimes with lots of littler roots branching off, sometimes even corkscrewing into the earth. Dear Christian, the sin in our hearts is like that. In fact, it often feels to me like I'm just getting the tops of the weeds, or maybe part of the root, while the rest sits, waiting for another opportunity to sprout. So we keep fighting. I keep battling for thankfulness. And so must you.

See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;
Hebrews 12:15

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Colossians 3:5-10

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:12-17

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:6