Weeds Will Overrun the Field During Days of Rainy Weather

            Ed, my neighbor next door, hates weeds. He has absolutely no tolerance for any of them. “No self-respecting farmer will even taste dandelion wine,” Ed claims. He says that the only good weed is a dead one. With so many days of rain the last while, Ed has been unable to get his spraying done. Each day the sprayer cannot move adds to his conviction that the weeds are swallowing up his crops.

I told Ed that weeds are just like sins they both spring up naturally and relentlessly. They grow and spread so rapidly, that it is a constant battle to try and keep them from taking over our lives. Ed believes that I have a fanatical view of sin, and sees sin as mostly harmless behavior that most people ignore. When I told him that Emerson claimed that a weed was a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered, Ed said that Emerson must not have been a farmer.

            I understand Ed’s need to spray weeds because they can crowd out desired plants and spoil the value and yield of a crop. The more weeds found in the crop; the less capacity for profit from its harvest. I tried to convince Ed that the sins we commit have the same power in our lives.  Selfishness, jealousy, greed, hate, lying, stealing, gossiping, just to mention a few common sins, may crowd out our ability to produce the generosity, appreciation of others, compassion, and a speaking of truth about others. Most gardeners know that weeds have a way of coming back after they have been hoed. A gardener deals with weeds as long as the growing season lasts. A person will deal with sin as long as he or she lives. You may say no to greed or hate today, but they will be waiting to take root in your life tomorrow.

            I asked Ed how many farmers would say that weeds don’t matter. He said, “None as most want the best crops possible.” I suggested that when folks seek to remove sin from their lives they are trying to have the best lives they can. My neighbor next door doesn’t see sin as the same as weeds. He sees some sins as desirable. It is good to be greedy if you are going to get ahead. Some people and things need to be hated as they are evil. Ed also says that if he doesn’t look out for himself, no one else is going to do so, thus being selfish is necessary not sinful. I told Ed that I could say the dandelions on my lawn are not weeds but pretty yellow flowers. Yet, leave them alone, and they will take over my yard in a couple of seasons. Sin may seem okay, but it will take over if given a chance to grow in our lives.

            Ed uses sprays to combat the weeds that would overrun his crops. Many of us use God’s word to help us identify all the various types of sin that are harmful to our souls. We also use the power of God or His gospel that gives us a God given victory over sin. The blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purifies us from all sin.      

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