“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23
God’s encouragement…
As the days begin to warm each spring, I find myself on my knees with my handy “dandy lion” digger grasped firmly in my hand. Weeds thrive while last year’s flowers and shrubs remain withered. For this reason, I feel blessed by them. They get me outside to hear the birds singing. They give me an opportunity to share a conversation with neighbors as they walk by. Pulling weeds is also meditative. Digging deep and pulling—especially when the whole root comes out—is very satisfying. In theory, that weed won’t return.
By September, satisfaction has turned into exasperation. Is there no end to this ritual? Weeds I thought were eradicated return! Just how far down do the roots go, I wonder? My knees rebel against the need to bend down yet again. Then I look at the flowers and all their beauty as they bloom and grow. In planting them, I committed to caring for them. And they need room free from weeds to thrive.
This battle in my yard makes me mindful of the weeds I grow within my heart and mind. They are not planted or cultivated by God. Even those He has worked patiently and painstakingly to pull up by the roots come back. Yet God never becomes exasperated. His mercies are new every morning! I am awed by this. God can draw us closer to Himself through our weeds by pulling us toward His thoughts and ways which are higher than ours. May we believe Him when He says His word will accomplish His purpose and shall succeed in the thing for which He sent it (Isaiah 55:8-11, full text below). He is faithful to make it so.
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Image: original oil painting by Tom Lybeck: Weeds in My Yard
Isaiah 55:8-11
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
