I would never claim to be an avid gardener. However, I do look over our rose garden from time to time and get an itch to pull out some weeds. Typically, I find a few too many around the edges. But the fertile soil around the base of the roses also has its share of pesky weeds.
As faithful followers, we need to do some weeding in our spiritual gardens, too. Weeds can spring up around the edges of our hearts. They overtake our sense of peace, leaving us lost in a garden of weedy sin and distraction — often originating from our attachment to the secular world.
In Matthew 13, we hear that God allows the weeds the evil one plants to grow alongside the wheat for reasons only he knows for sure. They spring up alongside the good things God plants in us, spoiling the landscape of who we are in Jesus Christ.
But not all the weeds we find can be attributed to the evil one. There are weeds we plant ourselves. Left untamed, they too will take hold in the fertile soil of our hearts.
God wants us to manage the weeds in our lives by doing something to prevent them from growing out of control. Our best defense against them is to sow our spiritual gardens with seeds of faith, hope, love, wisdom, justice, courage, moderation, integrity, and perseverance. God wants us to cultivate these spiritual seeds to prevent the weeds of sin from ruining our lives. _ Lord, help us to sow our spiritual gardens with seeds of goodness and love. In doing so, with the aid of your grace, we can prevent the spread of weeds of sin from quickly spreading out of control in our hearts, souls, and minds. Amen._
Throughout this Day: Invite the Spirit to keep you sensitive to his conviction, so you quickly turn away from temptation and sin and continue walking in his will.
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