I enjoy pulling weeds.
Let me broaden that statement so that it sounds more realistic.
I enjoy pulling weeds when the conditions are PERFECT. When the temperature is around 70 degrees. When the sun is warm and the breeze is cool. When the birds are chirping and garden cats purring. Also, the ground needs to have been recently soaked with a good rain. Then those weeds come up with one quick grab.
Effective weed pulling is when you have pulled out the entire plant. If you are holding a bunch of grass or leaves in your hand then you have not solved the problem. If the root remains then the weed will come right back up again.
Even with perfect weather and soil conditions some weeds are more difficult to pull than others. Remember in grade school when we studied the world of plants and trees? There are actually quite a few kinds of roots, but in my garden I run into two basic kinds: the fibrous and the taproot.
A weed with a fibrous root is easy to pull. If you dig your fingers around the base and tug a little in different directions you will have success. You will hear the satisfying sound of the roots loosing their hold on your garden soil. Into the bucket it goes!
Weeds with a taproot prove much more difficult. You can try to dig around the root so that you can get a grip on it. Carefully try to twist it, giving it a firm tug. But more times than not you will end up with a fist full of leaves. The root is left firmly in place.
I often think that pulling weeds is a perfect illustration of the work we are expected to do on our characters. Like weeds, bad traits of character are often permitted to grow in our hearts.
Some bad traits of character are more easily conquered. Much like the weeds with fibrous roots, they come up without much of a struggle. But there are taproot weeds that have grown so deep it seems impossible to get rid of them.
A hard heart is like dry, hard soil. The heart needs to be softened by reading scripture and spending time in prayer. By focusing on Christ and the beauty of His Holy character we will become more like him.
Phililipains 2:13 says, “If Christ dwells in our hearts then he will work in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
It is by looking to Christ that we will see the soil of our souls soften. The weeds that Christ points out to us we will abhor. We will cooperate with him to pull them up by their roots. No weed is too difficult for him.
Christ himself tells us that, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
The Garden of Eden was the joy of both the Creator and his creation. It was a pleasant environment and the work it required was also enjoyable. There were no weeds to pull, no thorns that would prick. It was unmarred by sin.
Someday soon we will be restored to this garden home. We must first do the work on our hearts that will prepare us to live in this sinless place.
God will not transplant characters that are overgrown with weeds or that are thorny to the touch. Our characters must grow instead the fruits of “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22,23
Spend time studying the life of Christ as recorded in scripture and on your knees in prayer. Admire his beautiful life and allow his transforming power to mold your character after the Divine. Ask the Lord, the Master Gardener, to show you the weeds in your character so that you can be ready to be transplanted to the Paradise of God!
