With The Determination Of A Weed

Lawn season is pretty much over in my part of the country – thank goodness. I had a pretty good Summer with a lot of help from my oldest son in mowing the yard. As I stare out over my relatively small yard today, there are patches of tan – dying grass mixed among the still green Bermuda. Again, I love this time of year. However, all is not well in my lawn, as I have already started to see cold-hardy weeds cropping up. They will not last long though. Just long enough to flower, and set seed, and then die. Ever thought about it? Ever notice how quick those Spring-time Dandelions go from cute little Yellow flowers to those beautiful complex “Puff-balls” that every kid finds irresistible? Days. Just days. In no time at all a lawn can be filled with Dandelions and other weeds that seem to crop up over night, spreading their seeds around so that they can do it all over again the following year. The bible talks some about the longevity of plants of the field in Isaiah 40:8, Psalms 103:15, and Psalms 103:16.

What I find amazing about these troublesome plants is their purpose and the time it takes them to perform it. If you remember way back in the Garden of Eden, God cursed the ground and made things more difficult for man as a means of punishment for disobedience. Genesis 3:17, Genesis 3:18. So possibly we have weeds today, in part as a result of Adam’s sin in the Garden. Also, to make us work a little harder out in our gardens and lawns. But still, the weeds themselves are an amazing part of creation. They sprout up from seeds that had been dispersed mostly from the year before. Weeds can quickly take over any piece of ground, because they are very hardy plants. Weeds grow fast, spread quickly, are often able to live in harsh conditions, and are usually very disease resistant. They make flowers very rapidly so that they can be pollinated and start producing seeds. Weeds often produce seeds in great quantities, which are often able to survive long periods of drought or even cold weather. Weed seeds are often able to be transferred by various methods such as through the wind, in water, by sticking to animals, or carried by animals which have eaten the seeds.

My point to all of this explanation on the lowly weed is this:

• They sprout up and mature quickly.
• They are very resistant to negative influences.
• They perform their function of reproducing themselves very quickly.

Despite the negative connotation that comes from the mention of weeds, you have to admit that they are very efficient. How well do I measure up?

Have I matured as quickly as I should? Or do I still struggle with elementary ideas? 1 Corinthians 3:1, 1 Corinthians 3:2, 1 Corinthians 3:3.

How do I compare when it comes to negative criticism or discouragement from others? Do I take it too personal and allow it to quench the Holy Spirit that resides within me? 1 Thessalonians 5:19, Ephesians 6:16.

Am I serving God in the way and for the purpose that He has created me? Or do I find myself distracted in serving my own personal needs first. Do I spread His word to others so that it might be reproduced and continue to spread? Ephesians 2:10, 2 Timothy 4:2.

Am I Listening To What God Is Saying In His Word?