Gardening…

Since buying a home I have taken up gardening. I have never in my life owned my yard. So now I feel like the yard reflects me in some way…strange. Growing up I hated having to weed or water…now I enjoy it. I’m away from everything and I just work…no phone, email. It’s just me the dirt, plants and God.

So today, I planted shrubs, flowers and strawberries. After getting everything into the ground I started to do the weeding. Now I hate weeds…I hate where they grow. They like to get in places where you can't reach. You fight and get where you can reach them and you get your grip…pull and all the leaves comes off, leaving the root. So you can’t leave the root…because it will grow back right. So you have to dig the dirt around the root and pull it out. But in the end there a deep satisfaction knowing you got that weed, roots and all.

But this satisfaction is only temporary, because the weeds will be back, like the Terminator. It’s a guarantee…so how does this all fit into my life. Sin, sin is always lurking at our door. It is always at work in our lives and we need to address it, roots and all. You cannot let sin have any space, because like the weed it will grow where you least expect it. It will establish deep roots that tap into your soul. We can attempt to remove it, but most of our efforts will result in us pulling off the leaves…leaving the root. Before you know it the sin has come back bigger and stronger.

It is when we trust in Jesus the ‘Great Gardener’ to remove the sin once and for all…He is the ultimate ‘Round Up’. He is the only one who can remove the sin. It is our job to keep the sin from getting roots. It means when the sin lands our mind or heart, we need to remove it. We cannot allow it to grow and establish roots.

James 1:13-15 “Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted By God," for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin
is full grown, it gives birth to death.

Well that is all I can muster for today…I’m beat! Gardening is hard work and you have to keep at it. You can never quit…because the weeds will always be there fighting for a place in your yard. Just like sin…