Time to Weed the Garden

This morning,  I walked by my flower garden and landscaping rocks and sat to finally pull the weeds that have been bothering me for weeks.  As I sat quietly, feeling relief for the weeds to be away from my beautiful flowers, I noticed how easily the weeds push around and through the rocks and whatever obstacles stand in their way,  sometimes with terribly hard sandy earth as their foundation. I realized that weeds do not need good soil to push through the boundaries.  They are so strong and determined to take a foothold that it would take very diligent, daily weeding to keep them from taking over.   I also find that even the smallest weed will take my eyes off of the beauty of the flowers.  Therefore I was thinking once again how hard I must work to keep those weeds out of my flower garden.

Weeds in my life can be anything that takes my eyes off of the beauty that is Jesus Christ.  I can get frustrated that things are not going my way.   I can feel overwhelmed by the tasks that I feel required to accomplish.  Even quality time with family can seem like a chore when we feel like there are too many things to do.

I find that my failure in daily weeding,  however, is not always my intentionally avoiding pulling them because of time and effort. I think that sometimes I walk by the weeds too many times without thinking they are that big of a deal until I don't notice them as much. Then one day, I find they've taken over. In life, most often this is when my own reaction to someone or something catches me off guard.  At this point however,  it can be much more difficult to get to the root of the weed in order to get rid of it entirely. It's much easier to pull each weed as it comes up!

This takes a conscious intentional effort,  but is vital to peace,  patience,  kindness,  joy and all the other fruits of the Spirit that we so desperately want in our lives.  In order to partake in these fruits,  we must treat each little weed as though it is a thief in the night attempting to steal our most prized possession!   As these weeds will cloud our vision and our opportunity for a closer relationship with our Saviour. 

Peace is not defined by all good,  all the time.  Peace is experienced by knowing and trusting the creator of all things that His plan is for our good. Jeremiah 29:11 is well known, He has plans for us to have hope and a future.  But Jeremiah 12 & 13 go on to say that this hope comes from keeping our eyes on Him.  (Not on everything we think that future must include. ) "Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Weeds are not always the ugly, scragly vines that are an eyesore.  Sometimes weeds bloom into attractive flowers and we're tempted to let them grow.   However, no matter how pretty and attractive things are,  if they take our eyes off of Jesus,  they must be pulled up by the root and immediately disposed of!  Even our greatest intentions and well laid plans can take our eyes off of Jesus.

So,  the moral of the story is stand guard!   Be constantly watching for weeds and be quick to pull them out! 
Even the pretty ones!   Keep your focus on Jesus,  His beauty is worth the weeding!

Where Ever You Are, Be All There

Each Tuesday morning,  I meet with a few friends to pray.  We pray for whatever is on our hearts including personal lives, friends, our church.  One day,  a friend said this prayer and it just stuck with me.  

 "Lord, help me to stop trying to be what you already say I am."

It has stayed on my mind and made an impact on my heart.  

Have you ever watched a small child run  down a big hill?   Think of little Carrie Ingalls on the opening for Little House on the Prairie.  Their little legs cannot keep up with the momentum down the hill and often roll head over heels.  

This is the perfect description for my faith.  My desire and sometimes even my knowledge have more momentum than my belief system. 

 Jim Elliot said, "Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt of every situation you believe to be the will of God."  Elliot was determined to bring the love of Christ to a group of "Ecuadorian indigenous people considered violent and dangerous to outsiders".  Men from this tribe would eventually take his life.  However, his wife, continued to share love and life with the same group of people.  Both Jim and his wife were all there.  Their faith,  knowledge,  & beliefs system converged into moldable hearts that God used to do amazing things! 

It was in a Beth Moore study that I first heard the following statements.  I believe that God is who He says He is.  I believe that God can do what He says He can do.  I believe that I am who God says I am and I can do what God says that I can do.  God's Word is alive and active in me!   

If I believe God, not just believe in Him but actually believe that His Word is alive and active, then my heart is moldable and so many other fears and distractions disappear.  

If this was easy,  I wouldn't be rolling down the hill of life.  Did I mention I'm prone to motion sickness?   I don't enjoy spinning rides and I don't enjoy rolling down hills!  So how do I get to the place where what God says takes root in my belief system and then shows up in my actions and reactions? 

Jeremiah 29:13 says, 

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Is it about trying harder?   Doing things better?  Nope,  it's about seeking  to have a closer relationship with Him!  Once again it's about knowing Him more.   This is something that I am capable of just by reading His Word and spending time in prayer.  I also really enjoy doing Bible studies written by credible authors.   If you want help finding a study, let me know!   

This is one of those times,  we should put all our eggs in one basket.  When you find out what God says AND believe it,  you will be all there too!