On a rare Saturday when I had six hours with nothing planned, I decided to tackle the weeds in one of my gardens, weeds that had not been touched in, shall we say, a very long time.
Some of the weeds came out of the garden right away, with very little effort on my part. But other weeds had deep roots, and no matter how much I pulled and dug and attempted to get them out, they didn’t want to budge. About half of my time gardening was spent on a very small portion of the garden where the weeds had completely taken over.
I noticed that the weeds were the strongest in the areas of the garden which got the most sun. In more shady areas, the weeds had no roots and I was able to get them out of the ground almost immediately.
During those hours of weeding, I thought about the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23), how strong the deep-rooted plants in the parable were, and how quickly the plants without deep roots died – kind of like my weed garden. The weeds in my garden which were the strongest had lots of light. Those which were the weakest were in the dark.
Isn’t that how we are as well? Want to be strong in your faith and have deep roots? Walk in the light: Read your Bible. Talk to God daily. Trust in Him at all times (even when you don’t understand). Strive to honor Him in all you do. Day by day, year by year, you will grow in your faith, and be able to withstand the troubles and struggles of life. Or, as Paul puts it, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Although the days are getting shorter and we have less natural light every day, may each of us let the light of Christ into our lives more and more, so that indeed our roots may grow as well…all year round.
