Weeding

Okay, so I had my mental post about weeding almost ready. It's all there, in my head. Ready to be typed out and sent on its way to cyberblog world.
But then, I saw this by Mumjones.
Loved it. Loved the truth in imagery of comparing a life lived outside the bounds to the thriving weeds. The weeds who struggle and grow and flourish where they land with the provisions God gives.

But….
That’s her metaphor, not mine.

Here’s my metaphor about weeds. Brought about by a fit of gardening last week.

Gardening again tonight. Not pruning this time, but weeding.
Thinking about the weeds in my life -- the things that grow unbidden and choke out what I intend to be part of my life. Since I'm pulling weeds, its natural to think about what needs to be uprooted and cleansed out of my life.
Tight-clenched, not-gonna-give-an-inch, self-pity tops the list. Nursing said pity while refusing to move forward is a close second.
Anger.
Greed.
Self-focus and self-service.
Ambivalence about seeking God. Not listening for a shepherd, or believing that a shepherd is a good thing to have.
The list grows (literally) like weeds.

Here's what I noticed in weeding.
Its a slow, deliberate process, and I have to really watch what I'm doing.
I have to examine each weed and make sure that I'm reaching down to the root of it.
Anything that is only partially removed will grow back quickly and with a vengeance.

Fresh eyes are needed periodically, to make sure that I can distinguish between the weeds and the flowers. I've found that I can go over an area and think that it is clear of weeds. However, as I return to it later, I see that I missed some plants that I needed to take out. They blended in with the flowers the first time, and I missed them. Or, more likely, they were a lot smaller than the BIG weed that I did pull out. So, I skipped over the little thing that didn't exactly belong. A second time through is needed to make sure I get all the weeds, big and small, significant and inconsequential.

Sometimes I forget that sins in my life are connected. The grass that has grown into my flowerbed has taken root and spread out from a hub plant. Once I get at the root, a large amount of the weedy area is cleared --the single plant was much bigger than I first thought. It only took uprooting one big plant, and all the connected weeds were also yanked out of the soil.

Weeding is better done alone. I tried weeding with Chris a week or so ago -- honestly, I was lazy. I pulled halfheartedly at my little section, knowing that he would come along and finish what I didn't get to. I didn't tell him this, he expected me to do my part, and in the end the area wasn't completely weed-free.
Better to do it myself, and be methodical about it.
At the same time, community matters. In this case, I know that my neighbors will validate my weed-free garden. In life, my chosen community is the canary in the cave, that I expect to point out sin when necessary.

Weeding is constant and continuous. Like housework - there is no "get it done forever" option in weeding. It must be done today, and redone in a few days or a week.
In my life, the examination and removal of things that don't line up with God's Life must be done today, and tomorrow, and the day after that...
...and the day after that....

Weeding is dirty business. It leads to calloused hands and sore knees. Dirty nails - that stay dirty for days. Hands that have a tinge of green and brown through multiple washings. The space to grow and access water and air doesn't come without effort. Getting at all the weeds doesn't come without effort. The garden is beautiful, for the effort.