Now I get it!

When I would read the Bible passage about leaving the weeds in the field with the good grain, I have to admit that I kind of wondered about it. The explanation given is that if the weeds are pulled up, the wheat amongst which the weeds are growing may also be uprooted.

(See the Bible passage, Matthew 13:24-30, here)

But if the gardeners went really slowly and were really careful, shouldn’t it be possible to uproot the weeds without pulling up the wanted plants. I’m not saying that it would be easy, but shouldn’t it be doable?

Fast forward not quite 2000 years to today.

I have been working in my garden this spring to uproot a particularly aggressive ground cover that not only likes to cover the ground, but grow over and choke out everything else in its path.

For those who know me well, I can be considered rather slow at whatever I accomplish. I like to be careful and thorough. Things often turn out well, but I have been known to be told that I am as slow as molasses in January. My response to that – I was born in January, so I guess there isn’t much I can do about it! I have learned to pick up the pace when necessary, but it is not me preferred way of operation.

So, in my usual slow, methodical way I have been carefully eradicating the beautiful but destructive ground cover from my front flower bed. And even as slow and careful as I am trying to be, I cannot even begin to tell you how many plants that were supposed to stay planted have also come out of the ground with the unwanted pest.

Now I get it!

Thank you, God, for your gentleness and patience, even when it means that you must endure weeds in your garden.

Oh, and the good news of the Gospel is that if we happen to be a weed, we can easily ask Jesus to make us into the wanted wheat simply by admitting we are a weed and accepting that he makes us wheat through his death and resurrection.