Ripping Out the Weeds

There has been very little time this spring to work outside. It's been a challenge learning how to balance our new lives in the country, so some chores have gone by the wayside.

Like this rock garden at the front of the house. It's right next to the front door, so it's the first thing you see as you walk up to the house. Not a very pretty sight to welcome you home when it's full of weeds.

But these aren't just any weeds. I don't know what it's called, but it's a creeping, spreading weed that takes over entire areas like a blanket. You can see here how it pulls up in sheets.

But the problem is that while you get the majority of it in one pull, the roots and some of the shoots are left in the ground. Underneath the top, visible growth are clumps that will have to be pulled out by hand.

That means a second pass through the garden. You can't just give it a quick once-over of weeding and call it a day. The roots that are left will continue to grow, and soon this garden will look exactly like it did today when I started.

There is joy in looking back over where you've been and seeing the progress you've made while you weed. There's still a lot of work to do, but there's also a lot of motivation to continue when you see how much you've accomplished.

This rock garden goes clear across the front of the house and down part of the hill. That means time and energy on my part to pull weeds and keep it clean.

Just as this is a wonderful description of the hard work necessary to keep my garden free of weeds, there is an amazing spiritual application here, too. I encourage you to read Proverbs 24:30-34 and Matthew 13 today. Are the only weeds we tackle the ones in the garden?