weeding

I spent a portion of this morning weeding. Now I'm not a master gardener, but I do enjoy looking out at a beautiful garden, so I know there is some work involved. When we returned from vacation last week it was amazing how much had overgrown. I set out this morning and began weeding and weeding and weeding. The more I pulled weeds the more I realized that the flower beds were not as full as I thought by looking at them. They were actually full to capacity with weeds. I pulled and pulled and underneath there were some beautiful plants that need time, sun, water, and fertilizer to mature into a full blown garden.

I got to thinking about life and how we fill our lives with busyness and things--it looks like we have very full thriving lives. Full calendars, overflowing responsibilities, lots of people around--I started to wonder about all the fullness. As I looked at my garden after the weeding, I realized that in order for the real flowers and foliage to get through, I had to clear out. My garden had become full very quickly because weeds grow so fast!!! I wonder if by filling up our lives with all these other things we are keeping our true gifts from flourishing. If by allowing the weeds to take over (even the ones that look beautiful) we prevent ourselves from flourishing in our God given talents and purpose.

I know that for awhile my garden will look less full, but I also know that with time and care the true flowers will fill in and the garden will be overflowing with vitality. I also know that before I add another thing to my life I'm going to really consider whether this is something that will be a fast filler, a temporary fix, or whether it will be a long lasting flower. Is this a flower God wants planted in my life? Time and care--