By Dr. Jeff Mathis
One of my duties at our house is to destroy the weeds that stand embarrassingly high on our property. I should probably tell you now that I am not fond of this chore.
Even my rueful confession causes me grief and shame, for I know that I should relish the opportunity to make our mountain home look less jungle-like. I want our home to look prim and proper, but I tire at the need to be at war with the insidious creeping thistle. By this time of the year, I am nearing the point of surrender in a battle that I cannot win.
You see, the weeds keep coming. It is a vicious cycle.
I mow the weeds down.
They sprout up while I sleep.
So, I dress like a beekeeper to protect myself from poison ivy and assault them with my weed eater. It is a violent practice, with the remnants splattering my sunglasses as they spit hither and yon. Even so, the mulched weeds scatter their seeds to fresh soil and new opportunities for growth. Yes, I’ve tried poison. But even poison conspires to irritate me as the carcasses of weedy plants stand as brown sentinels in an otherwise field of green.
I cannot win. A killing frost is my only friend.
Here’s the truth of the matter: Weeds are a part of life. Just as weeds have monikers like pigweed or ragwort, or the spotted knapweed, the weeds in our lives have names as well. The weeds that crowd our walkways are the irritations, frustrations, and confounding circumstances that crop up with alarming regularity.
In life, we are often sidetracked by these irritations because we give them too much of our time and energy. The weeds that seem to capture so much of our attention may be that passive-aggressive co-worker or that tone-deaf comment on your prized Facebook post. We focus instead on the idiosyncratic and the annoying when we could be enjoying the sunlit summer shower in the meadow across the valley. We are irked by these weeds, and they steal our joy.
Yes, these weeds are but trifles in a world overcome by natural disasters. But that’s my point. We give the weeds far too much sunshine. When we focus so much of our attention on the weeds, it siphons off energy from the flowers.
And yet, we cannot always summon a killing frost. Perhaps there is another way to make peace with the weeds that creep up our paths. Instead of destroying the weeds that grow between the cracks, it may be a better use of our energy to grow healthy grass. A healthy lawn is an antidote for weedy invaders.
When we focus on walking humbly with God, our lawns become lush and green. We can walk barefoot with God because we have developed healthy disciplines of reading scripture, praying as Jesus taught us, and practicing acts of selflessness and kindness. These Christ-centered practices create a healthy ecosystem where the occasional dandelion or deer tongue weed cannot take root.
Well, at least not for long.
Oh, and one more thing. Watch your step. We haven’t even begun to address what might be hiding in those high weeds.