When the Weeds Have to Go

When you work a scandalously huge number of hours a week, almost always away from home, things in your house go undone, especially when the hours at home are spent working, too. 

I've had to make some schedule changes recently so that I can be a better steward of the gifts God has given me. I believe I'll be more efficient with ministry as a result. I know I'll be more rested and content. 

One of the tasks that's gone undone recently is weeding my flower beds. This morning, I walked outside with the dogs and "saw" my landscaping for the first time in a while. (Of course, I've seen it, but today I paid attention to what I saw...) A scandalous number of weeds threatened to choke out my perennials. 

"Lord, this looks pitiful. I'm really sorry." I repented on the spot. Overlooking weeds in the flower bed is not a sin, but poor stewardship of resources and inattention to the gifts God has given is... I looked at the stretch of patchy, faded mulch and the encroaching weeds and despaired of getting it back under control. 

The problem can only be solved by removing one weed at a time. While Maggie and Mamie ran around in the yard, I pulled weeds. I didn't clear the entire bed, but I managed to clear a nice patch. By tomorrow, the patio landscaping will be cleared. One weed at a time.

That's how we, as disciples of Christ, deal with the weeds in our heart, too. One at a time. 

God seldom says, "Leanna, you're nothing but a mess of sin. You need to get cleaned up." Instead, He gently convicts me of one thing at a time and tugs at my heart until that weedy sin is removed. 

One weed at a time, He clears the garden of my soul.

If we honestly appraise our lives, we all have sins that need to go, usually more than one. Today, let's choose the goal of a sin-free heart and invite God to remove one thing at a time until all the work is done. 

A weed-free garden is lovely, but there's nothing more beautiful than a sin-free heart, so let's do what it takes to get those pesky sin-weeds out.

"For it is written, 'Be holy because I am holy.'" 1 Peter 1:16 niv

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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Incredibly Dirty, Stinky, Yucky Morning

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