Sometimes I Water the Weeds

I gazed into our backyard imagining beautiful flowers interspersed with a few succulents inhabiting a small triangular flowerbed in the corner of our yard. I shared this vision with my husband to which he replied after a few seconds of contemplation, “Ang, you can’t even keep a cactus alive…”

My sister and her family recently went on vacation, and I helped tend to a few things at her house in their absence. One of which was watering her beautiful garden. In my aforementioned lack of green thumb state, I grabbed the hose and went to watering. The only problem was that I wasn’t quite sure which of the smaller plants were weeds. I mean I stood there in the soil really trying to discern, but I just couldn’t be sure. So I watered them all.

I am in the middle of a period of change in my life right now. And I’ve got some weeds of doubt in my mind that are threatening to overcome the confidence with which I take the steps laid before me.

What if I’m not good enough…

What if I make a mistake…

What if I fail…

I recognize these as weeds in my mind because I know that the truth of The Word proclaims that I am beloved and that His presence goes before me (Exodus 33:14).

But sometimes I water the weeds. Sometimes I give them so much water that they flood over into other areas of my thinking. Before I know it, I’m shut down. I can’t think straight. I’m flooded. Gasping for breath. Grappling for solid, dry ground to steady myself.

I may not be adept at the best practices for flourishing plant life, but I know a few truths that I need to cling a little tighter to like the life preservers that they are.

1. The victory has been won. The pathway to victory was paved from the beginning with the promise that He would crush the enemy’s head (Genesis 3:15). Were there trials that followed for God’s people? Absolutely. Was there temptation? Big time. When Jesus was in the desert seeking the will of the Father through prayer and fasting, Satan capitalized on the moment of potential weakness (Matthew 4:1-11). What was the comeback to this temptation? Scripture. Victory waited on the other side of temptation, “Then the devil left Jesus. Angels came and took care of him.” (v. 11). Victory.
   
2. I’m not less than. I am adopted into the Kingdom of God by the blood of Jesus Who went to bat for all of our stuff, all of our struggles, all of our past, present and future by the finished work of the cross. And He looks at me with great delight (Zephaniah 3:17).

I am not going to get it right every time. I’m going to be tempted to overwater the weeds in my mind instead of ripping them out of the soil. We are imperfect creatures living the middle ground between The Fall and the trumpet sound of His Second Coming.

What if Noah had deemed the ark plan a lesson in futility and given up after the first few decades…

What if Moses had believed the lie that he was unable to speak and stayed in hiding under the invisible cloak of insecurity…

What if Jonah hadn’t gone to Nineveh and preached revival in a sentence…

What if Ananias hadn’t been obedient to go and minister to Saul after which scales fell from Saul’s eyes not only restoring his sight but unlocking a key component in the Kingdom work of spreading the gospel…

Battles are seldom won overnight. They require a knock-down-drag-out fight to the finish. As dear friends reminded me today, the Lord will fight for us, we need only be still (Exodus 14:14).

Stand firm with the shield of faith. Heave it heavenward. Step into grace. Trust that He will never leave you or forsake you.

Fight the battles of your mind one weed at a time.

Today’s post is dedicated to my dad. Three years ago today he exchanged his final breath on earth for his first in eternity. I love you, dad. You are my hero.