If you read the post “What Just Happened?” then you know that Ty and I moved (yet again) last fall. And we’re still pinching ourselves over the whole thing! From sunsets and mountain views to trails and friends, we feel incredibly blessed…
What we didn’t know when we bought the home, however, was its tragic history. Only after settling in did people dare share the stories that preceded us. I second-guessed whether buying this home was a good decision when a neighbor congratulated us on buying “the haunted house”. Yip, that’s us (insert nervous laughter)… haunted-house hunters .
After a few months of hard work inside the home, I think we cleared out all the ghosts and goblins. Then came spring. And we were soon forced to deal with the gremlins outside: overgrown hedges, untamed bushes, and weeds so hard to pull I wondered if hell itself was hanging on from underneath. But fear not! Armed with weed killer, hedge trimmers, and a hoe dag (coolest name for a tool ever!), Hubby and I are waging war!
You wanna know what I’ve learned from all this hoe dagging business?
Tend your garden.
It’s worth repeating: tend your garden.
Anyone who knew the original owner of our little ‘haunted house’ comments on how meticulous he was about his landscaping. “Every morning Larry was out there with his clippers trimming bushes and pulling weeds.” … “His was the most beautifully manicured lawn in the neighborhood.” Then, sadly, Larry had to sell the home after a series of health issues and the subsequent owners didn’t share the same appreciation or concern for either the home itself or the landscaping. Short and simple, Ty and I have been dealing with the destruction inside and neglect of the property outside.
Why do I share all this? Because I think there’s vital spiritual truth here.
Healthy relationships don’t just happen. They require work and maintenance just like gardens. And it is true that weeds, no matter how hard we try to prevent them, will always creep up. If we want our relationships to be vibrant sources of life and nourishment then we must embrace the labor required to cultivate, plant, water, and weed. Neglecting this work will always lead to ugly, not beauty… to death, not life. And, though my experience with landscaping is quite limited, I think it’s safe to say that daily maintenance is much preferred over the arduous labor of repair and restoration when things have gotten out of control; the same is true in the landscapes of our relationships.
But healthy relationships cooperatively begin with you and I personally.
My heart, your heart – these are our spiritual gardens. And they grow many things. The heart is a factory of desires that produce a variety of abilities and affections. But, due to the fall of man and the subsequent curse, humans naturally (without effort) produce selfish and sinful desires in the same way the earth naturally produces thorns and thistles (Genesis 3:17).
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.” Galatians 5:19-21
Not a pretty garden. Not a fun person to be in relationship with.
But those living in the freedom of the gospel of Jesus Christ, however, are no longer bound to the natural order of things. We are given the Holy Spirit who is supernatural and through faith in Christ we have the ability to grow new desires, new affections, and new fruit:
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23
Furthermore, God offers those filled with the Holy Spirit supernatural wisdom, knowledge, faith, prophecy, discernment, healing, miracles, tongues, and interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 12-14).
Now THAT’S a vibrant garden!
We cannot assume, though, that because we profess a belief in Christ that we are indeed growing spiritual fruit. I can purchase seeds and tell everyone I believe they’ll grow strawberries but the truth is unless I properly plant and nurture those seeds we’ll never taste that sweet fruit from my garden. Only through the practice of abiding in Christ- where we plant, water, and weed regularly – will we enjoy the harvest of righteousness we’re promised.
You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:7-9
We get this – planting good seed into good soil sets us up for a successful harvest! But there’s still that issue of…
Weeds.
Even in the gardens of those we might call spiritual green-thumbs, weeds still crop up – seemingly out of nowhere sometimes! Indeed, the curse of thorns and thistles remains even though we’ve been given power to grow good things out of cursed soil. These dang weeds – covetousness, anger, boasting, unforgiveness, envy, deceit, slander, bitterness, sexual immorality, greed, self-pity, drunkenness, pride, vanity, jealousy, hypocrisy, duplicity… the list goes on – if neglected, will grow, multiply, and diminish the beauty of our gardens.
Knowing this, we are wise to make a practice of weeding. Often.
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
Psalm 139:23-24
David basically begs God, “Show me the weeds!” Because David knew that to flourish spiritually he couldn’t ignore sin – nor did he want to! David treasured his relationship with the Lord like Larry treasured his landscaping, thus making it easier to want to pull weeds! Even more wonderful is David’s plea “Lead me in the way everlasting!” Because what good is it to see weeds but lack motivation to rid the problem? Confessing sin is of little value if not followed by sincere repentance. So David’s prayer becomes a perfect model for us in that he both asks to see the weeds and desires to uproot them in order to protect his relationship with the Lord. What a beautiful example for us!
Today I have a challenge for you. Would you be willing to spend 10 minutes weeding your garden right now? It might just be the best, most productive 10 minutes of your week! If so, grab a piece of paper and something to write with and walk with me through this process…
10-Minutes of Spiritual Weeding
- Pray David’s prayer from Psalm 139:23-24 and make it a personal prayer to the Lord.
- Sit silently for at least five minutes as you wait for the Holy Spirit to show you any ‘weeds’.
- Write down anything that comes to mind (even if you don’t like it – perhaps especially if you don’t like it).
- Respond in prayer: 1) thank Him for revealing something to you 2) confess that you see it as sinful or at least threatening to your spiritual growth 3) ask the Lord to give you strength to pull those weeds so that your garden can flourish!
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Niki Schemanski is a wife of eighteen years, homeschooling mother of three children, and part-time Doula. Her love of singing led to nation-wide travel and performance as a teenager. Later in life, that passion was joined with a love for Jesus and she became a worship pastor, a role she has served in both professionally and voluntarily for sixteen years. She and her family reside in Durango, Colorado. (Read More: About The Author)