(Two spiritual posts back-to-back. Wow.)

It’s here.

Spring has sprung.

And, with the beginning of spring comes one of my least favorite things to do … pulling weeds. And, when I say, pulling weeds, I mean back-breaking labor. Check it out. This was just one section of my yard. Serious stuff.
As I nearly died from this pain-in-the butt chore, God made some things real clear to me. (Did I just use the word “butt” and God in the same sentence? That’s some great writing there.)

Remember the Scripture about those old nasty weeds.

Let me refresh your memory:
Luke 8:4-8
As they went from town to town, a lot of people joined in and traveled along. He addressed them, using this story: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. Some of it fell on the road; it was tramped down and the birds ate it. Other seed fell in the gravel; it sprouted, but withered because it didn’t have good roots. Other seed fell in the weeds; the weeds grew with it and strangled it. Other seed fell in rich earth and produced a bumper crop.
Luke 8:14
And the seed that fell in the weeds—well, these are the ones who hear, but then the seed is crowded out and nothing comes of it as they go about their lives worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun.

As I pulled these massive weeds that had overtaken my flowerbeds, it stinkin’ hurt. It hurt my hands. It hurt my back. It hurt my arms. It hurt my knees.

It was painful.

But, like I told La Petite Belle who was helping me, if you don’t pull the weed up from the root, it’ll just grow back.

I mean, look at this weed root.
It made me think of how pulling up the weeds in our own life is hard, even painful at times, but if we don’t, it’ll just produce more weeds. And, who wants a flowerbed full of weeds?

God reminded me that these weeds can be so many things in my life that are good. Heck, look how pretty a weed can be.
It can even produce a flower. But, in the end, it’s still just a weed with a pretty face. Even doing good things can get in the way of what God has really called us to do.

Once all these weeds are gone (and it does take time … days, weeks, months … with lots of cultivating, more pain, more discipline), a real flower will grow. Not a fake. Not a pretty weed. A real flower.

God, I don’t want to have a life full of weeds. Help me to recognize what these weeds are and to pull them up from the root so that I can accomplish all that You want me to do.