We have had some much needed rain this week and things are growing, like, well weeds. The weeds are growing amongst the flowers and plants and need to be pulled. This is a chore I don’t particularly care for, but it needs to be done. We plant gardens using seeds and with some attention the good stuff will grow, but we have to take care of the plants, we have to pull the weeds.This chore always reminds me of a passage in the Bible. I am referring to the “Parable of the Sower” in Matthew 13, as well as in Mark and Luke. I know I don’t usually talk much about Scripture but this was an important passage in my journey back to faith.

When I began to read the Bible, I would read one book in the Old Testament and one book in the New Testament; this kept me from getting bored. Matthew was the first New Testament book I read and this parable was the first to really strike a chord with me. As I have mentioned in previous writings it has always seemed that when I am questioning something regarding my faith a passage or reading will jump out at me. As this was the time I was first questioning why I left the church, this passage gave me the insight I needed.

The parable talks about a man who was going to plant his seeds. Some of the seeds fell along the path, some feel on the path and were trampled so they didn’t grow; some fell among the weeds, started to grow but then were choked out by the weeds; and some fell onto fertile ground and grew quite well.

When Jesus explains what this parable means, I realized I was one of the seeds which fell amongst the weeds. I believed but my roots never took hold all that well so the weeds choked my growth. The good thing about weeds however is that you can pull them out and whatever is growing around them will grow. I have found in my yard, since gardening is not one of my strong suite, that I don’t even have to do much other than pull up the weeds and the good stuff will grow. Would the good stuff grow even better if I watered it and fertilized it along with pulling the weeds? Of course it would, but just pulling those weeds in a good start.

I started pulling the weeds in my life after some things happened to me and I realized there was someone watching over me and taking care of me. Putting all the various pieces together, I realized God does watch us and take care of us. The least we can do is give back. In order to do that, you have to pull the weeds. I had plenty of them and once I started pulling them and the sun and rain began to enter in my life I began to grow.

The weeds still sprout up once in awhile, it can be hard to get them all the way out, it doesn’t take much of a root for them to grow again, but when I see them breaking the surface, I pull them out right away, before they can block out the sun again, and now I even fertilize them now and again.