Pull that weed

Spring has finally arrived and with that, the urge arises to get outside to clean up the yard from the winter and plant gardens, fertilize the grass, etc. On a friend's Facebook post, Elizabeth, one of my Facebook friends, mentioned using a weed wacker to cut down the weeds. I replied that in order for the weed to not grow back, you need to pull it up out of the ground.

Those of us who maintain our homes' yards know that using a string trimmer to cut down the weeds only takes care of the weeds temporarily.  Either pulling up the weed, root and all, out of the ground or using weed killer and then pulling the weed up out of the ground is the only way that the weed will not grow back.  It can be back-breaking work, for sure, but the results are permanent.

Upon further reflection, I realized that weeds can be a metaphor for sin in our lives.  Like weeds, sin starts as something small. The more we commit the sin, the more it grows, until it finally takes over our lives and our relationships with family and friends, and even our relationship with God, like the weeds take over a garden.

So how can we get rid of sin in our lives?  First, we must recognize that there is sin in our lives, like when we see a weed in the garden and know it doesn't belong there. Once we see the sin, we must repent of it to the Lord.  1 John 1:9 states, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Now that we have repented of our sin/seen the weed, we must get rid of whatever caused us to sin so that we don't sin/it doesn't grow again. In Mark 9:43-45, Jesus speaks metaphorically about getting rid of whatever causes us to sin:  "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched. . . And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into that hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched, . . . And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.  It is better for you to enter the Kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire." Weeds (the plant variety) can only be eradicated using the methods listed above.

In the movie Fireproof, Kirk Cameron's character is addicted to pornography, which he views over the Internet. After he repents of his sins and turns his life over to God, he realizes he needs to get rid of what causes him to sin.  He takes his computer outside in the back yard and demolishes it with a baseball bat, much to the amusement of his neighbor.

If we are spending too much time on the computer and/or smartphone and it interferes with our relationships, either with people or with God, we need to cut back. If we are viewing pornography, either in print or via the Internet, we need to stop.  If you are unsure about what constitutes sin, read your Bible.

Dear reader, take a look at your life.  Are there weeds/unrepentant sin in your life? If so, repent of your sin in order to have a better relationship with God. 

Thanks as always for reading! See you next time!

Diane