Pulling Weeds

I told you last week that I would share a moment when the Holy Spirit led me on a trail that was unexpected. It doesn’t happen often, but because it is possible, it keeps me tuning in everyday to see what God will reveal to me next.

I was reading the familiar story about Adam and Eve after eating the forbidden fruit. They had purposefully made a choice to disobey God for the purpose of gaining knowledge. They didn’t know this knowledge would come at such a cost.

There were consequences to their choices–one being this:

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, `You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

Genesis 3:19 ESV

I have often joked that it would be better if God had chosen weeds to be flowers, since they grow without help. When I read these verses I was convicted of my crass humor.

The weeds are a reminder of our sin. And my joking about it was in need of correction. I repented to God and thanked Him for the beauty of flowers. They are a grace produced despite the weeds that would try to choke them.

We live in a broken world. Something I’m reminded of daily whether it’s the news, a phone call with a friend or a debate started on social media. We are in desperate need of a Savior. Jesus came over 2,000 years ago to set us free, yet I am still tempted to grumble and complain like the Israelites–this side of the cross, no less.

Have you allowed the Holy Spirit time to correct you as you read your daily Bible? This isn’t a to-do list to say we did it! It is a personal time alone with the Lord who knows you and loves you most. Ask Him before each daily reading to reveal Himself to you in what you read. He loves to answer such prayers.

I recently heard of someone who was desperate to hear from God. They even offered a prayer for proof that God was in the direction they were going. They asked God to allow a deer to pass by as they were driving–then they added, “Make it a buck!”

To their surprise before the day was done, a buck walked in front of their car–looked at them and walked away. God loves to answer our cries for help, hope and direction. Even when we are doing mundane tasks like pulling weeds. I will forever thank God for His mercy and the beauty of flowers when I pull weeds from my garden.

I encourage you to keep going. We are just getting started on this journey down Route 66–the ancient road–which is full of encouragement and truth.

Photo by Izabela Himes on Unsplash