Winter Weeds

I ran across an old friend today. His name is The Sunshine. Literally, the sun shone bright and warm today for the first time in many days. I quickly went outdoors and opened the vents in my greenhouse. It was so gratifying to be in the sun and fresh air that I decided to take a walk around our property. Our Bermuda grass is dormant, but there are green patches here and there. Unfortunately, the green patches in this instance are not a good thing. Ground Ivy and dandelions are scattered across our yard. Some of them have dared to bloom. Here in zone 7, it is common to use a herbicide such as Glyphosate or an organic alternative to eliminate weeds before the warm weather grasses come out of dormancy. When the warm spring temperatures arrive, the dead spots left by the weed intruders are quickly filled in by a beautiful, lush stand of grass.

"They will bear fruit even when old and gray; they will remain lush and fresh." Psalm 92:14 (CEB)

I started up a conversation with some people in my church the other day. I had never met them before, so I began with the usual chit-chat, "Hi, my name is…what is yours?…have you attended our church for very long.." As it turned out, I had almost identical conversations with two different couples. In both cases, the response was the same. Both had been attending church for several years. Both "used to be" involved in volunteering in some capacity. Neither were part of a small group Bible study. My first thought was to be a little disgusted. But, almost immediately, the Holy Spirit reminded me that I spoke those very same words a few short years ago.

 My husband and I have reached middle age. That not so glamorous space between the prime of our lives and retirement. Our attitude had become, "We've done our part. It's time for the next generation, the young lions, to take over and do the work." Our spiritual lives were dormant. We were Christians, going to heaven. Our children were grown adults that know and love God. We were alive but not thriving. Safe and sound with our roots in the good, rich soil of a great church. But we were spiritually drab and colorless. Weeds were slowly creeping in; some were getting ready to bloom.

 Then one day, we heard a message from our Pastor. He said, "Many of you think that you are waiting on God to answer your prayers. The fact is God has already done His part, and HE is waiting on you." My husband & I looked at each other, and we knew that we needed to get up and get back to work. We became leaders in our church. We began to meet, greet, and get to know people in our church. We pray with them, encourage them, and do everything we can to make them feel like part of our community of Jesus followers. We started meeting with different couples once a month for Bible study and spiritual accountability. I said all that to make this point: when we said "yes" to serving other people, breakthroughs began to happen in our own lives. Our finances began to turn around. Circumstances changed, and we were able to purchase the home of our dreams after twenty years of waiting.

 How is the lawn of your soul today, my friends? Is it dormant, stagnant.. tired? Is the only thing growing in your heart and ugly weed of a bad attitude? Are you attending church for yourself and for what you can get out of it? Have you ever considered that the person sitting next to you may be there to give God just one more try? I have been totally overwhelmed lately at the number of hurting people that have come across my path. Sickness, grief, divorce, addictions..the list goes on and on. I guess getting older has some benefits. It is causing me to think about the day that I will look into Jesus' face. The thought of reflecting on my life and seeing a sea of faces that had crossed my path that I did nothing to reach, to help, love or minister to is sobering to me.

It may be true that we don't have all the energy we used to. I probably won't be leading kids in praise & worship anymore. But I can still say hello to the people around me in church on Sunday. I can always ask how their week was. I can write a thank you note to a law enforcement officer. I can call up our local veterans center and see if there is a need that I can meet.

The picture I chose for this blog is of my two favorite annual plants. One is a red geranium. The other is 'Snow Princess' Alyssum. An annual plant is only supposed to last for one growing season. However, I have kept these two plants in my greenhouse for three years now. Every winter, I cut the plants back. By the springtime, they have new growth and flower profusely. The Alyssum began as a plant in a 4" container. Now, it is in a 16" pot; the old is cut out, but the mature, stable roots produce a brand new plant.

Today is our day, my friends; let's cut out the dead excuses. Let's kill the weeds of attitude with the power of the Word. Let's roll up our shirt sleeves, take a deep breath…and get to work.

"I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return] "Philippians 1:6 (AMP)