By Elizabeth MacDonald of Seaside, Oregon USA
Shun youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
I find great enjoyment, satisfaction, and peace working in my garden. Gardening is my favorite activity. I find myself working through life’s challenges while digging in the dirt, pruning the shrubs, harvesting the lettuce, and weeding. I learn a lot in my garden.
I choose to garden with as few chemicals as possible because I cherish God’s creatures like bees, butterflies, birds, dragonflies, garter snakes, frogs, not to mention dogs and cats. Therefore, I am blessed with a lot of weeds, which I choose to remove by hand.
A biology teacher told our class once that weeds were the natural inhabitants in our gardens; the plants we carefully place in the soil and tend for their flowers and food they produce are the weeds. I often ponder this interesting concept while weeding and try to appreciate the value of those natural inhabitants. I must confess it is rather hard to appreciate ones like thistle and dock weed. Yet I have observed a lot of important lessons in the weeds.
It fascinates me that many weeds grow alongside similar plants I have placed in the soil. I often cannot tell the difference between the plants until they are ready to bloom or are already blooming. I ask myself, how many persons am I ready to dismiss from my circle of concern because I think they might be “weeds”? Plants like dandelions have impressive roots. I often remove the same dandelion time after time. Have I developed a strong root system with my faith and servanthood? Dock weed, yellow bird’s foot, and wild violets all have roots that travel great distances and send up new plants from those root branches. Pulling up one plant, one discovers the root is attached to several others. I wonder if the roots of my faith reach into the lives of others to encourage a new life of faith.
I continue to be in awe of my garden and all God accomplishes there. He rewards me with beauty and bounty in what I have planted and speaks to me as I tend the weeds.
Prayer Phrase
“…we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
Weeding the Garden
Inner transformation can take place among daily leisure and work. Try cultivating the spiritual discipline of grace and acceptance while weeding the garden. As you pull each weed, offer a short prayer. Tug. (God remove from my heart all prejudice and fear.) Tug again. (God, keep me from judging others.) As you remove the weeds, continue praying. (Plant in my heart the seeds of your love.) If you don’t have a garden, try this transforming prayer while engaging in repetitive tasks or work today (cleaning out a closet, washing dishes, cleaning the floors, mowing the lawn).
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.