Day Fourteen- Don't Pull Out the Weeds!

 “No,” he said, “If you pull the weeds you might uproot the wheat with it. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" Matthew 13:30
 
During our church’s day of service, we made a goal to beautify our community by performing menial tasks around town. Our first task was to pull the weeds out from among the sidewalks that line the businesses on Main Street. To be honest, I was a bit nervous about the work that would require of me. In last week’s post, I shared about the garden my husband and I had when we first married. We planted the seeds feverishly in the hopes of a good crop. When we went away on vacation, we neglected pulling the weeds for a week. When we had gotten back, not only did we have a large crop of veggies, but the weeds had overtaken the entire area. We learned then that gardening takes a lot of hard work, perseverance and diligence to yield a good crop in the end. Since then, I have not planted a garden because of the amount of work it takes!
 
Because the weeds were such a nuisance to us that first year, I assumed it was necessary to rid the garden of the weeds. But according to this verse in Matthew, Jesus actually wants them to remain. Although the weeds proved difficult and cumbersome to the garden, they never produce any long lasting harm to the crop’s presence. The weeds, despite how big they grew, never deterred the crop from growing. Although the weeds grew amongst the crop, both were rooted deeply in the ground. But only one produced something valuable to the person who yielded the crop.
 
It’s easy to see the weeds are the difficult trials and circumstances in our lives.  Although they can feel like they overtake our lives, Jesus weaves the difficult circumstances in our lives among the fruit we are producing. If we are deeply rooted in Christ, the weeds will never squash the fruit He is producing in our lives.