Spring Has Sprung
Spring has sprung, and so have the weeds in my yard. Actually, the weeds sprung up at the very beginning of the month. I stared at them growing in my backyard as I rinsed off my plates and cutlery at the kitchen sink. I glanced at them sprouting in the front yard as I hurried to my car to go run errands. They brushed my ankles on my return home after a long day. Yup! Spring has sprung and brought with it rain, slightly warmer weather, and those weeds.
The weeds were not as much of an issue when I was getting my yard professionally treated. I know…I know…I know. I can treat the yard myself. And when I was a brand new homeowner, I did all of the things (or outsourced the work to Bible Study Mama and Bible Study Brother…hahaha). I was all in! And ready to do whatever it took to care of my home. As my responsibilities grew, I had a much more difficult time doing it all. So, I paid to have the yard treated to reduce the amount of time that I spent mowing down weeds. Well, it has been 2 years since the weeds have encountered chemicals and they are thriving. Living their absolute best life. Soaking up all the rain and warm weather. And getting bigger every day.
The crazy thing is that I have allowed weeds to grow in my spiritual life as well. I went almost a year and a half without going to church. I did not want to hear anything about Jesus. I let my soul go untreated. I watered my weeds with my tears of grief. I stared as the weeds grew. I glanced at them as I went on living life. I let them brush my ankles as I went about my day and did nothing to stop their growth. I let them live and grow bigger every day. Thankfully, I did not stay that way.
I put my bonnet and head wrap on. I grabbed my lawn-mowing shoes. I filled the lawn mower up with gas. And I cranked up my lawn mower for the first mow of the season. Listen ya’ll. I dread mowing my lawn for the first mow of the season. I think because I know it means that I have to be fully committed for at least the next six months. I have to plan my schedule around the rain and heat to make sure that the yard stays nice and neat. And it’s a workout. There is just nothing cute about mowing the yard. But it’s my yard. And I have to maintain it.
Much like my spiritual life. I’m grateful that I came to myself and realized that I needed to get rid of the weeds that had taken root in my faith walk. And the first mow was rough. Getting back into the habit of regularly attending service was not easy. Which surprised me. Before I took my long break, I could not have imagined a life without hearing sermons regularly or attending Bible study. I had to mow down the weeds of laziness that had grown over my previously neat yard. And it was a workout. But my faith is important, and I have to maintain it.
As I started attending church again, I realized that listening to good Word was not enough to keep my faith at its peak condition. I had to start reading the Word again for myself. I could not outsource it. Jesus died for me personally, and He desires a relationship with me personally. And I had to tune in to His voice daily to see what He wanted to say to me. The weeds are always waiting to grow. Which means I need to be in a position to kill them at their root.
Spring has sprung. Maybe your faith is filled with weeds. Or maybe you are experiencing an easy walk filled with sunshine and manicured lawns. Either way, know that your relationship with Christ is essential. If it’s filled with weeds, be encouraged and know that He can mow them down if you lean into Him. If it’s an easy walk filled with sunshine and manicured lawns, be encouraged and know that He can maintain it if you lean into Him (but also don’t be surprised when the rain starts falling and you discover you need a French drain to handle the downpour…because life has a way of life-ing). Yup! Spring has sprung. And I am grateful for the opportunity to steward what God gave me. #wepreach
