So im sitting on some stairs outside of my house in this BEAUTIFUL weather and i looked down and saw a weed that was growing by my feet. So i started picking at it..not really thinking about it. I just broke off all the long pieces that were sticking out until i got to the base of it. And i couldnt really do much more to it without entirely uprooting the entire plant. So i grabbed it..beside the thoughts that quickly popped up in my mind.. ones like: im probably gonna get some dirt under my nails from it. And its just one stupid weed..theres a buttload of them all across my yard. Why am i even wasting my attention on this. But i started pulling at it anyways and it felt like i was gonna break it. So i tenderly, but at the same time with a solid tug, ripped it out of the ground. And it disturbed the ground some..im looking at it right now and theres a bunch of dirt laying in a mess from where the weed earlier was present
And all of a sudden the Holy Spirit kinda smacked me on the forehead.
This is an excellent metaphor for our life. And then there was another smack on my head reminding me of what i had decided to title my blog. haha...good one Kasey.
We all have junk in our lives..plenty of it. Weeds in our hearts. But God wants to make us Christ like..which requires a lot of ripping out those weeds. But because were kinda dumb, theres usually a whole process that we make ourselves go through.
We often see those weeds and instead of going straight for the root, we start to pick at it. Thinking that simply picking off the little edges of it will make it disappear. Until we waste all the time picking at it, get to the base of it, and realize the problem really hasnt disappeared at all. It may not look as obnoxious, but the problem will quickly grow back.
So from there, we sit back and realize we need to just uproot it. But right away the enemy and our flesh begin to plant lies and doubts in our minds. Things like: its gonna require me getting some dirt under my nails. Or, its only one weed, one small thing in my life. Theres so many weeds in my heart...why does this one really matter? Why am i wasting my attention on this?
But hopefully we get past those thoughts and finally grab a hold of it and begin to tug. But sometimes it requires a tender tug, and other times it requires some force to make sure we get it all out.
And after uprooting it, it doesnt always look very pretty. Like the ground by my feet, its kinda a mess.
John 15 is amazing. Read it. Jesus makes it very clear when he is talking here that if we are plants that dont bear fruit, we are thrown into a fire and burned. AH. But if we are branches that abide in him and bear fruit, he will prune us, so that we may bear more fruit. Within those plants that bear fruit, there is always still weeds that need to be pruned and uprooted from it.
So we must be willing to allow him to uproot the things in our lives that prevent us from bearing more fruit. And though its not always enjoyable, its a great sign that we are abiding in him. And itll so be worth it.
