A Most Despicable Weed...

One of the most difficult weeds in my garden is this HORRIBLE one!  It is called Puncture Vine, and it is deceptively pretty -- it has nicely shaped little leaves that radiate from a central point, and it gets pretty yellow flowers.  But lurking EVERYWHERE among its little branches are horrible burs!  They are shaped like a mini Maltese Cross, and they are as sharp as razor blades. They cut my hands right through my gardening gloves, and I have had bloody fingers numerous times, just trying to get them out.  They have quite a deep tap root, so in order to get them out, I use a hand trowel, but they still have to be lifted out and put in the trash can, which means still handling them to some extent.  The very bad news is that the seeds from these weeds can lay dormant for 20 years or more, and then spring to life under the right conditions!  When the burs dry out, they become even more treacherous, puncturing bike tires, mower tires, wagon tires, soles of shoes, etc.  These "goatheads," as they are called, I guess because of their shape when dried, can fall off of your shoes onto your rugs, floors, carpets, etc., you can have the further delight of stepping on one barefoot and recalling why the weed is called Puncture Vine. OUCH!
The only surefire way to get rid of it is to DIG it out -- a painful process, indeed.  The best remedy is to make sure it doesn't start growing in the first place.  It can become massive, and can take over your garden and smother your precious flowers and veggies very, very quickly... Sigh...

Because of the perfect construction of the burs, looking just like a Maltese Cross, I looked up the history of that emblem.  Wow.  

The eight points of the cross are believed to represent the eight vows the early knights had to observe:
1) live in truth; 
2) have faith; 
3) repent of sins; 
4) give proof of humility; 
5) love justice; 
6) be merciful; 
7) be sincere and whole hearted; 
8) endure persecution.
(See www.choppers.com/iron_cross.asp)

This lovely emblem was counterfeited and made despicable by Adolph Hitler in 1939, who re-introduced the cross, but with a Swastika in the center...then it was called an Iron Cross.

What is that, Lord? Yes, I am listening and focusing.  What would you have me to learn here?

1) Purging the weeds from my life can be a very painful process.
2) Recognizing the weeds for what they are can be difficult...they are serious imitations of the genuine; they are counterfeit, fake,  They are a perverted, distorted version of something good!
3) Some of the roots go down deep, and are really hard to get out.  
4) Some have been dormant for a long time, and suddenly spring to life under the right conditions!
5) It is best to never allow the weeds to grow in the first place.


Lord, please help me to apply what you have taught me here!
I have been busy this week identifying the despicable weeds in the garden of my heart.  Ugh! They are noxious and have to go! Do you have any despicable weeds in your garden, too?

Blessings to you this weekend!  :D

Galatians 5:19-21  When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,  idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,  envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 15:57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

Some images from Google images, others are my own photos

Lessons from the Garden #1

I am a newbie at gardening...well, at vegetable gardening.  I have always grown lots of plants and flowers, but not veggies and fruits.  One thing I have always grown well is WEEDS!  I can grow tall, magnificent, well-rooted weeds with very little work.  Amazingly, they just come up wherever, whenever! I hate pulling weeds!  I find them highly irritating. It is hard work to get rid of them, and requires care so I don't uproot my young plants. What is worse, now that I am growing new things, I don't know (especially in the early stages of growth) which is the plant and which are the weeds. Some of my weeds even look very pretty.  (However, you may look closer and find some really nasty thorns!)
This is a great parallel to life, isn't it?  We have to be very discerning, or weeds can pop up and look like the real thing. They can look lovely, enticing, and worth feeding. They can be so deceptive that we may cultivate, pamper, and encourage their growth. If we are not careful, we can cultivate and encourage the wrong things to grow and thrive in our lives.
Thoughts and feelings of jealousy, envy, anger, resentment, ungratefulness, bitterness, self-centeredness, self-pity, arrogance, pride, etc., can be growing just under the surface. When we begin feeding them, suddenly, they grow into full-blown sins and become huge!  God doesn't want those ugly traits to characterize the life of His children.  Unfortunately, they are pretty easy to grow, and don't even require a lot of nurturing.  They can even take over, if left unchecked. They can surprise us by springing up in odd places...
 In Colossians 3:12 it says, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
It is interesting to me that God chose to tell us to clothe ourselves with those traits -- clothing is worn on the outside of the body.  Other people see it easily. It is always on display. So, too, these important character qualities should be clearly evident to all who see us and know us. We can disguise the weeds in our hearts and minds for a while, but if we do not work hard to remove them, they can choke out and take over the growth and fruit-bearing, and even work their way to the outside -- to our countenance, our attitude, our speech, etc. Not a pretty sight. 
So, I must continually kill those pesky weeds! In my vegetable garden, I have to work hard to yank them out by the roots or they come back quickly. I must carefully prepare and nurture the soil so my good plants can grow and thrive.
In my life, I use the Word of God as my weed killer, and meditating on Scripture can work as a good preventative for future weed growth! Even after all these years, it is still hard work and a never-ending task.

But keeping my gardens growing well (minus the weeds) and bearing fruit, is well worth the effort!

Have a good week!  :D

Yes, I know it has been forever since I have updated my blog.  Rather than wasting this whole post lamenting and explaining the busy-ness of my life, just accept my apology and know that I will try to keep up better! 


Do you ever wonder where you would be if you had not made the choices you did? I do.
Would God have led me right back to this place at this time through a different route?  Would my life be happier or more fulfilling, or sorely lacking substance and full of pain, had I chosen another road?  Would you change something major about your life if you could live it over again?
I would not.
I began my journey of faith as a very young child. I have always had a deep desire to know God better. My earnest prayer has always been to do His Will.

"Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."  Ephesians 5:17
 I could have chosen a different path -- I could have chosen a different mate, a different career, a different place to live. But would I be satisfied and content?  I know that He has always had plans for me -- plans that He established, plans I longed to fulfill. 


"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11


Although the road has not been easy, and I have had my share of pain, suffering, heartbreak, and sorrow, I have never walked the road alone.  He has been with me every step of the way.  I may not have held tightly to His Hand, nor always acknowledged His wisdom guiding me along the best path, but He was by my side and holding on to me all the way.  There have been times I felt like I was walking blindfolded, taking tentative steps and wondering where the road ahead would lead.  But He has faithfully guided me and patiently listened to my murmerings and complaints about not liking the road on which I travel.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will direct your paths."  Proverbs 3:5-6

I have experienced amazing blessings in seeing how God has worked things out in miraculous fashion, orchestrating and causing infinite details to come together as no one else could. True to His Nature, He continues to delight, amaze, and confound me with Himself. 
A road of faith is a "road less traveled" -- it is a road marked by looking up in order to see straight ahead.  It is knowing ahead of time that there will be twists and turns and boulders in the road, but a strong and able Friend and Guide goes with me.  In looking back, I would definitely say that the greatest lesson I have learned is that God is FAITHFUL.  That fact allows me to look ahead with joyful anticipation.  I am exceedingly grateful for His Hand in mine along the road of life.  There is joy in the journey and a secure knowledge of the final destination!  


This is my all-time favorite poem.  It so beautifully states what I have been pondering...
Here it is for you:


Hugs,
Annie

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost (1920)

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;


Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.


Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.