I absolutely LOVE springtime!!! There is just something about the smell of the green grass, the bright new colors, and the feel of the sun on my skin that makes me feel all renewed inside. My girls look at me so weird (not much different from normal) when I make comments about how the freshly cut grass is one of the best smells ever. My sighs always get a little deeper and my shoulders a little lighter with the warm winds that blow. Did I mention I love spring??
I came home one day in mid-April to find my neighbor at the side of her house, wiping sweat off of her brow, and stuffing a garbage bag full of weeds. She already had one full bag off to the side. We made pleasantries, and I asked what she was doing. It was then that I noticed it wasn’t weeds that she was pulling, but it was some dead plants from last year. They were stiff and gray looking and apparently well-rooted by the way she was tugging away at them.
“I’ve got to clean these out so my new ones can come in,” she replied as she stepped back out of the flowerbed. As I looked, I could see beautiful green new plants trying hard to poke up through all the dead plants. Struggling, I’m sure, to have water, growing room, and plenty of sunshine so that they can grow to their full potential. I was temporarily amazed that anything new could grow in the jungle of dead plants that lined up against her house. Yet, there they were, several inches tall already and shooting straight as an arrow.
Without thinking, I popped off, “Isn’t that how our life is?” and walked away. I was struck in the gut with that thought because of so many things that have been going on in my personal life. God has so many beautiful new things in store for us. If we choose not to clear away all the dead stuff in our life, how is the new supposed to thrive? We have a choice to let go of all the weeds…. all the dead stuff….. even if it used to be beautiful at one time….. anything in our life that may be hindering our personal growth to our fullest potential of what God has planned for us. Sometimes, when we refuse to deal with all the dead stuff in our life, God has to come in, wipe the sweat off of his brow, and tug away at those things that we tend to hold on to for whatever reason. That hurts. It’s painful. It’s not fun. But if we are faithful enough to give control to God and allow Him to weed our flowerbed, the benefits will be “exceedingly, abundantly more than we can think or imagine.” Ephesians 3:20.
Joel 2:21-23 “Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the Lord has done marvelous things! Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field; For the open pastures are springing up, And the tree bears fruit: The fig tree and the vine yield their strength. Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the Lord your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you…”
What “weeds” or “dead plants” do you have in your life that you need to get rid of? Why do you need to get rid of them? Do you feel something new is ready to grow in its spot?
Pray to God asking Him to remove these weeds from your garden of life so that He can make new room for all of the new, bright, and beautiful plans He has in store for you.
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