What Makes a Weed?

I've always loved when the violets start blooming in the spring.  As a child I used to love when I found myself somewhere with enough of them to pick for a little posy. When we built our house some years ago, I was delighted to find that there were many violets in the lawn.  It seems, however, that the violets are flourishing more than the grass is, and our flower beds quickly become overrun with large violet plants when weeding gets overlooked - as it frequently does!

In fact, I pulled pounds and pounds of violet plants recently from around the base of our above-ground pool.    On the one hand, I was sad as I pulled up the roots and rhizomes and saw all the buds the plants were preparing for later. On the other hand, it felt so good to clear out the overwhelming mass of unwanted vegetation.

cleistogamus "flowers"

That bit of weeding got me thinking about how my beloved violets had become such unwanted pests.  I discovered as I was doing a bit of research that what I thought were next season's flower buds were actually this season's cleistogamous [hidden] flowers.  These hidden flowers produce seeds with no other violet plant needed, and the seed pods are sort of "spring-loaded", so they get flung away from the parent plant when they drop.  And that's what makes the little blighters so good at spreading!  

It's that same sort of unexpected ability to reproduce itself that makes some our habits so troublesome.  Reading, for example, is a good thing.  But getting hooked on reading novels, newspapers, magazines, blogs and so forth, day in and day out to the detriment of other responsibilities, IS a big problem.  And the same thing can happen with any and all of the  good things God has given us in this world.  It's not the thing itself that is a problem, but its ability to take root in our lives and overwhelm all the other things in the garden.  

To be an effective disciple of Jesus, one must root out everything that gets in the way of  taking up the cross and following him.  The difficulty is that so many of the things that get in our way are not bad things by their own merit, but only because of their ability to crowd out discipleship.  Violet flowers are, after all, quite charming and lovely.  It is only when they have the chance to take over the garden or the lawn or the flower beds that they become a problem.

"Then [Jesus] said to the crowd, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.'"  (Luke 9:23)

What weeds are crowding out your discipleship efforts?  What keeps you from prayer, Bible reading, worship, service, giving?  Weeds can be hard to identify and heart-breaking to dig out when they seem as harmless as a little violet flower.  Ruthlessly "weeding" our lives is the only thing, though, that will allow us space to develop fully into disciples of Jesus Christ.  So get out your gardening gloves, and start pulling!

Choose your Satisfaction

I have a little swimming pool in my backyard.  It's an above-ground-model that was given to us by friends, and they weren't the first owners.  We've had to replace parts of the side that rusted out, the bottom is lumpy because our install wasn't the best.  The liner has at least a dozen patches that are starting to come off, and I can't seem to keep ahead of the algae...

But despite all that, I do love it!  I like to float in it and just watch the sky, or enjoy the feel of hot dry sunshine on top and cool wet water below.  One day recently I was reveling in the glory of the world as I floated in that pool, and it occurred to me that a lot of people in the wealthy part of the world where I live probably think I'm foolish to find such satisfaction in something that by any standards (even my own!) is quite dilapidated and second-rate.

And sometimes I might agree that I'm too easily satisfied: choosing the easier path, deciding to settle for less, passively accepting what's available rather than pursuing something else, something that represents "better" or "more."  The world says that I am not living up to my full potential when I leave these possibilities on the table, un-striven-for.  After all, if I'd spent more effort advancing in my job, I might have a beautiful in-ground pool now, and wouldn't that be better?

But I think we all have to choose our satisfaction.  To choose satisfaction means to acknowledge that what you have RIGHT NOW is enough - to look into the depths of your soul and say not only "this is good enough," but "this is good and more than I deserve." It's not a matter of "settling" for something that is less than your heart's desire.  Rather, it is a matter of allowing yourself to be satisfied with what's available in the here and now.

In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray this: "Give us the bread we need for today." (Matthew 6:11, Common English Bible)  To choose satisfaction is to acknowledge that whatever we have now, today, is what God has provided to us - for today.  "More" or "better" may be coming our way later, but to disparage what we have now is to disparage the Giver.  To not find a full measure of joy in our current circumstances is to judge God's provision as inadequate...

So, my friends, choose to be satisfied!  What unlikely or overlooked circumstance can you find RIGHT NOW that satisfies your soul?