In my earlier years my parents would send my brother and I off to stay with my grandpa in Seward, Nebraska for a week or so. My grandpa was a smart, strong-willed man and as stubborn as a printer (trying to use relevant analogies - mule and ox are a bit dated). He was also simple and deep at the same time and taught me things about how to love that I am still trying to figure out (more on that in a future blog article). I learned more in those weeks at grandpa's than I think it did in entire years growing up.
One of the ways he accomplished this was by giving us projects. Projects designed to chisel us into men.
Behind my grandpa's house was an alley, and the gravel driveway attaching to that alley looked as if it had been neglected for quite some time; it was riddled with weeds of all sizes and varieties. My job, as you might imagine, was to remove them at a penny per weed, which might not seem like much but if you factor in a comic book store within walking distance and subtract 15 years of inflation, that was plenty of motivation for a young aspiring nerd.
If you are at all familiar with weeds, you know that not all of them are cooperative in their removal. In fact, some are quite opposed to the idea of being ripped from the earth and have taken precautionary measures to ensure such a thing never happens. I was quickly introduced to the intricacy and extensiveness of root systems. Some of those weeds kicked my butt.
I found that the younger the weed, the easier it was to pull. In their infancy it just took a gentle tug and you'd get the entire plant, roots and all. Nice, I liked those.
On the other end of the spectrum, we had the butt-kicking variety. These were weeds that had been growing for years possibly and had entrenched themselves in a million directions; nearly impossible to extract. Some of these weeds that had spread to infinity and beyond couldn't even be removed in one back-breaking session; they required treatment that gradually got down to the roots and destroyed them from the inside out. With these, if you just removed the visible portion, they would come back again and again and again.
All kinds of weeds, all needing to be removed. I became a weed specialist.
Believe it or not, this blog isn't a DIY on weed removal, at least not entirely - I guess it's kind of late for that. There is actually an allegory here that I've been building up to. Consider the story prior and the description of the different kinds of weeds. Ok, now...
Replace the word "weed" with "sin".
[pause for effect]
I know that word: sin, is one of those religious trigger words that shut people down in conversations but bear with me here.
Like me learning how to tackle all kinds of weeds, we all have to learn how to tackle different kinds of sin that are perhaps infesting our neglected internal back alley-ways.
First off, lets talk about the neglected back alley. Some people can't slow down enough in life to even know there is something being neglected there. (I may be pointing the finger but have 3 pointing back at me). This is what you need to do: get alone with God, and say something like...
"Alright God, here I am. This is God-time. I'm not thinking about what's for supper, or what I have to do before bed, or where I left my keys - none of that mental checklist stuff. You, of all beings, deserve my undivided attention for as much as I can give it, so that is now."
And then just listen. Don't strain to hear something audibly but listen with your heart. Close your eyes if you have to shut things out. Or open them if closing your eyes is distracting to you. TIP: It is easier to hear God's voice when you are at peace. What I've found when I do this is it is almost as if God directs my thoughts and He reveals things about me that I never knew where there.
This is so crucial to do because there are things about us that need to change that only God can point out. And when God points out your flaws, He has a way of doing it that doesn't make you feel like crawling under a rock for the rest of your life. It always comes from a place of love. He made you and knows exactly what you need even before you ask it. He wants you to see what He sees in you. He's the best father in existence.
Psalm 103:10-13
He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west
The Lord is like a father to his children
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
Psalm 103:10-13
He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west
The Lord is like a father to his children
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
Now let's talk about the weeds.
Some of our gardens are in different states. Maybe you just need little maintenance to get rid of any new sprouts that may have crept in in your current season of life. Maybe you need an overhaul. Just like the plants, if sin is left un-addressed for long periods of time, it sinks its ugly teeth in and is that much harder to remove.
Be warned of the quick fix though. It's easy to go through your subconscious garden and weed out the new saplings with a virtually painless tug but this is just a surface solution, designed to make things look good at first glance.
Sometimes it just takes a bit of work and diligence on your part. Sometimes it takes having someone to hold you accountable. Sometimes it takes becoming part of a family of other strong believers to get you back on your feet. Sometimes you can't do it on your own and you need a miracle.
Regardless of where you are personally at, know that you are not the only person dealing with this. You are never too far lost to find your way back. You are not giving up "having fun" by doing this. God is not mad at you. God has not forgotten about you. You are worth saving.
Here's the deal though, no matter how big the weed, my grandpa still paid me the same: one . The same goes for God with sin. No matter how big or small of an issue you feel you have, sin is sin. Just one sin disqualifies us from "earning" our way into heaven and that's why there's only one way to get there: through the blood of someone who never committed sin and sacrificed his life that we might be free, Jesus.
Regardless of where you are personally at, know that you are not the only person dealing with this. You are never too far lost to find your way back. You are not giving up "having fun" by doing this. God is not mad at you. God has not forgotten about you. You are worth saving.
Romans 8:38-39
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Here's the deal though, no matter how big the weed, my grandpa still paid me the same: one . The same goes for God with sin. No matter how big or small of an issue you feel you have, sin is sin. Just one sin disqualifies us from "earning" our way into heaven and that's why there's only one way to get there: through the blood of someone who never committed sin and sacrificed his life that we might be free, Jesus.
At the same time, although no amount of good works can get us into heaven, He does keep track of them...
Revelations 22:12
“Look, I [Jesus] am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds."
I honestly don't know what that reward is - the bible says we can't even fathom what is in store for us in heaven - but I do know what having the favor of God is like now, and I can't live without it. I also know that, whatever the reward is, it is coming from the best gift giver this universe has ever seen and that, to me, is worth the weeding.
