Weeding a Fall Garden

My gardens are a mess.  I don't understand how, when a drought hits, flowers dry up and weeds grow like crazy.

I see very few flowers.  I see lots of weeds.

I was trying to clean things up.  -Venturing into the crisp fall air, I plunged into the overgrown garden patch.

YIKES!  What's this?????  Crazy stems of prickly seeds practically jumped out at me!  I looked down and saw my entire front: sweatshirt, hood, sweatpants, work gloves, covered in sticky burs.

Yeck!  In frustration, I pulled a weed.  Immediately, seeds caught my bangs and clung to the stray hair flying out of my ponytail.  GEESH!

This was becoming a sticky situation, but I had to ignore it.  I began to pull weeds with a vengeance. Burs were flying everywhere -- I grimaced thinking how those crummy little seeds were contaminating my pretty flower bed, as well as my whole body!!!!

I should have been keeping these weeds out of my garden all along.  Now that I've let the weeds take hold, welp, I am up for a struggle.

HMMMMMM.... Potential sermon illustration here.  These weeds are kinda like the sin in my life.

I step in to sin so easily.  I say to myself: "I'm only going to kick back here with this sin just for a minute."
Other times, I don't even stop to think at all. I'm sinning before I even notice.

-Maybe I'll make a snide remark.  Maybe I'll participate in gossip.  Maybe I'll  keep my mouth shut about believing in Jesus because I'm afraid of what others will think.

I can feel those seeds sticking to me.  Who have I hurt by my careless words?  What opportunities have I missed in my silence?

Worse yet, have my kids seen me be a weakling in the midst of public pressure?  Or... have my kids seen me stand strong and steady in the love of God?

Have my kids listened to my stupid comments and compromise?  Or...have my kids witnessed unwavering commitment and no compromise?

I'm feeling pretty seedy here.

Tonight, I am pulling each individual seed off my clothing and out of my hair.  Bit by bit, I am cleaning up.

I'm saying a prayer while I pull:

"I'm so sorry, God, for the times I think I can just 'dabble' in sin.  

Help me remember....REMEMBER to listen to you and NOT the world.  

Help me not to be so self-centered.  

Help me remember to stay in your WORD and listen to YOUR voice.  

I thank you in advance for everything you can do with this cracked pot.

 In Jesus name I pray.  AMEN."

Each choice is a seed and each consequence can be sticky.  Watch out -- you can transfer those burs to others, if you are not careful.

Tonight....the burs have gone into the light of the fire barrel.  That's the only place they are consumed.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word (Jesus) was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.  In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."    -- John 1:1-5

You can't get into the weeds...without emerging with "seedy" consequences!