Leaving The Weeds
Spring is in a full-on vault, in my neighborhood, and the
weeds are as excited to pop up as the intended plantings. When I look out the back window, a sea of
grape hyacinth runs the full border of the lawn. Here and there tulips breakthrough the violet
expanse with their complementary pinks, yellows and snowy whites. From a distance the garden is idyllic, but
when I go out in it, I see the uninvited and noxious growths in amongst my
delightful flowers.
Pulling up the weeds, the soft soil gives way, but the roots
are entangled with the flowers and the wanted comes out with the unwanted.
This reminds me of a parable Jesus told to talk about life
with God. In Matthew 13:24-30 (GNT)
Jesus says this:
The Kingdom of heaven is like
this. A man sowed good seed in his field.
One night, when everyone was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among
the wheat and went away. When the plants
grew and the heads of grain began to form, then the weeds showed up.
The man's servants came to him and
said, “Sir, it was good seed you sowed in your field; where did the weeds come
from?”
"It was some enemy who did
this,” he answered. "Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?” they
asked him.
"No,” he answered,
"because as you gather the weeds you might pull up some of the wheat along
with them. Let the wheat and the weeds
both grow together until harvest. Then I will tell the harvest workers to pull
up the weeds first, tie them in bundles and burn them, and then to gather in
the wheat and put it in my barn.”
This passage is a favorite of mine because it reminds me to
remain in a place of humility when it comes to how I interact with others. I don’t need to destroy people who plant
themselves in my space and become invasive.
Doing so might pull up the sweet tendrils of my own spirit, backfiring
against God’s good intent for my life.
Anger and revenge do that kind of thing.
We have a God who has promised to fairly treat all people
via His perfect judgement and in His right time. And because of that, we can relax in His
hands while we enjoy His creation.
Author
Bio:
Sharon has
been writing and teaching biblically based curriculum, Bible studies, and
devotionals since 2007.
She has
had the unique position of writing curriculum and teaching for two private,
Christ-based, residential recovery programs. Both programs primarily served
women in the homeless community.
Sharon has
traveled multiple times to Kenya, serving on medical teams and teaching in the
rural Maasai communities. She’s been privileged to speak in Leadership camps intended
on encouraging and empowering the impoverished, underprivileged, and often
abused young women.
Within
these ministries, Sharon has witnessed the transformative power of loving words
spoken to the broken-hearted. Sharing God’s love and witnessing its
transformative power has become her passion.
Sharon and
her husband, divide their time between Oregon and Hawaii. They have two grown
children.
Currently,
Sharon is encouraging others via her inspirational blog, but prefers sharing
face to face. Additionally, she is working towards a degree in Ministry.
~*~
Connect
with Sharon:
Website: Sharonmusgrove.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Sharon-Musgrove-Untethered-102208978041060
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharonmusgrove_untethered/
Ivy Zimmerman is successfully navigating her life as a young Mennonite woman, one generation removed from her parents’ Old Order Amish upbringing. But when her parents are killed in a tragic accident, Ivy’s way of life is upended. As she deals with her grief, her younger sisters’ needs, the relationship with her boyfriend, and her Dawdi and Mammi’s strict rules, Ivy finds solace in both an upcoming trip to Germany for an international Mennonite youth gathering and in her great-great-aunt’s story about Clare Simons, another young woman who visited Germany in the late 1930s.
Leslie Gould
