Tend the Weeds
I have a lot of weeds.
The recent rains we’ve been receiving has caused many things to grow in my yard, including several things we really don’t want to grow. And as I was pulling weeds from our flower beds, it occurred to me that this is a lot of what following Jesus is about.
Weeds will always find a way. You don’t have to plant weeds for them to sprout. No matter how careful you are, they show up. “Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain” (Mark 4:7). They creep in through cracks, carried by the wind, hidden beneath the soil. And sin works the same way. A stray thought, a careless word, a momentary compromise we excuse. It doesn’t take much for trouble to take root.
Weeds are persistent. Pull them once, and they come back. They grow in the cracks of sidewalks, through gravel driveways, even between bricks. Likewise, sin and spiritual distractions don’t give up easily. Hebrews 12:1 calls it “the sin that so easily entangles.” We should never underestimate how determined sin is to gain ground in our hearts.
Weeds will never relent. They require diligence. Weeds don’t take a season off. They grow in spring, summer, and even push through in winter. They never surrender. Likewise, temptation and sin never retire. “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The battle for our soul requires vigilance every day of our lives.
We must tend to the weeds. Neglect is all it takes for them to overrun a garden. Proverbs 24:30–31 gives the picture: “I passed by the field of a sluggard…and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns.” The same is true for your soul. Discipleship is not a one-time cleanup, but a careful, daily tending. Prayer, scripture, and worship are not occasional chores but the daily tools of tending to your soul.
Weeds must be dealt with at the root or they take over. Cut the leaves, and they grow back thicker. The only way to truly kill a weed is to get the root. In the yard, that might mean Roundup. But, in our hearts, that will require repentance. “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matthew 3:8). While Roundup kills off weeds in the yard, repentance gets to the root of the weeds of the heart.
The good news is that we are not alone in this garden work. Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1). In Christ Jesus, God is the Gardener of our souls. He sees every hidden root, every stubborn sprout, and every branch that needs cut. He alone can transform our weedy patch into a growing, beautiful, fruitful vineyard.
Tend to your weeds. Don’t let them take over. Take them out by the root. Pull them early. Pull them daily.
And let the Master Gardener bring life where thorns once grew.