Weeds Among the Crops

“And he [Jesus] told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears, listen!’” Matthew 13:3-9, NRSV

Have you ever noticed how sneaky weeds can be? They grow absolutely everywhere! They have the ability to pop up unnoticed, and grow until they are big enough to take over the space where a plant is growing. The weeds rob the plant of the essential nutrients it needs, and they can manage to grow among the crops.

In my own garden, I find that I am constantly battling the weeds. It seems just as I have spent an hour weeding, the next day I find more weeds sprouted up. They like to hide underneath the plant leaves and in spaces that are not easily noticed. I find myself having to resign to living with them in the garden!

I think the same can happen in the spiritual life. There are things in our lives that are robbing us of the nutrients we need: like Jesus. Yet, we have resigned that we simply just have to live with them. But, we have free will and there are choices we can make in life. We can choose to weed out the distractions in our lives, but we must continually do so, just as weeds constantly come back in garden soils. So in this life, distractions will continually present themselves.

In the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, Jesus teaches about the foundation we need for the word of God to be able to bear fruit in our lives (Matt 13:23). Jesus presented several scenarios where the seed, representing the God’s word, is attempted to be planted, but various circumstances of this world prevent it from taking root. Jesus taught that when seed falls among the thorns, the thorns choked out the seed, so it was unable to grow grain (Matt 13:7).

It is critical that we pull the weeds out of our lives. Weeds that choke out our ability to hear God’s gentle voice. Weeds that interfere with our ability to grow. Thorns are inevitable in this life, but it is important to recognize them for what they are: thorny, unwanted distractions.

What are some weeds and thorns in your life that need to be maintained? How can you ask Jesus for help in weeding these out today?

In Christ,

Lauren