A couple of Mondays ago, I decided it was time to take
advantage of the improvement in the weather and try to tackle the jungle of weeds
we commonly refer to as our yard. I went out and did the trimming first. When I tried to use the riding lawnmower, it
wouldn’t even start. I waited over a week for the repairman to come and pick it
up and haul it to his shop. He said I was number 37 on his list! My yard was
already long overdue for mowing. After another week it looked like the yard of
an abandoned place.
Last year it didn’t look nearly as bad. It seems somehow
through the fall and winter the yard became inundated with chickweed. I don’t
mean patches here and there like you see dandelions. I am talking a field of chickweed. You see, whereas for
the last decade or so I had become accustomed to small ‘city’ yards, I am now
responsible for a spacious half acre.
This yard has the potential to be one of the nicest in the
neighborhood. Unfortunately, the owners lived here before and didn’t spend much
time caring for it. He removed all but three shrubs from the front beds,
leaving them to fill up with weeds that spread to the yard. Weeds don’t look
good anytime, but my neighbors take great pride in their yards and have them
professionally treated. It pays off too. Though their yards are less than half
the size, their lawns are beautiful; lush and thick, and rich dark green.
I started thinking about how this relates to our lives. We
all have potential. When we get married, there is the potential to have a great
marriage. But like the yard it requires attention and work. If we don’t cast
the right grass seed and feed the lawn, we won’t have the right grass growing.
It won’t stay healthy. If we get busy with other things and ignore it, soon
there will be a few random ‘weeds’ creep in. They are hardly even noticeable at
first. When the right things aren’t growing, the weeds will fill in. And if we
aren’t diligent in handling those problems, before you know it the bad starts
overwhelming the good.
We have to tend to our relationships. We need to sow the
right seeds; respect, encouragement, positive words, mercy, patience, kindness,
gratefulness, graciousness, and peace. And we need to be diligent in pulling up
the weeds. Weed out anger, bitterness, jealousy, criticism, sarcasm,
complaining, whining, pride, offense, arrogance, disrespect, lust, judgmental
attitudes, arguing, and improper speech. Feed your relationships with prayer, unconditional
love, forgiveness, appreciation, self-control, and a pleasant, joyful attitude.
Right about now you may be saying, “That’s too hard, I can’t
do that!” You’re right; you
can’t. But God!
We have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead
living within us!
We are called to be Christ-like. It’s our job to guard our
minds and words, our attitudes. The Bible says to cast down wrong or bad
thoughts every day. Out of your
thoughts, come the issues of your life. Take control of your thoughts. You
can’t live by your own thoughts. We must strive to have the mind of Christ; to
keep and maintain a loving, forgiving, merciful heart, and to do good to
others.
Then we won’t have crabgrass or chickweed in our lawn of
life. It will be beautiful, healthy and lush.
And become useful and helpful and kind
to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted),
forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians
4:32
Speaking of being helpful and kind…
I came home last Tuesday, to find my yard had been mowed by
one of my neighbors. What a wonderful blessing I received from an elderly neighbor
who not only mowed the jungle, but brought another neighbor to repair the lawnmower
for me. Jesus’ attitude of being loving, kind, and doing good was demonstrated
through these two men.
I’m thinking I should bake and deliver a couple of pies...but first I need to buy some Weed and Feed .
