What happens when you don't pull weeds.

I knew it was there. I had seen these weeds growing through the fence, stretching their poison soaked leaves towards the sun. Leaves of three they say. So I let it be.

I knew it would be a messy job to get rid of the poison ivy, so I put the task off for another day. I figured it would stay where it was on the fence till I was ready to glove up and kill it. I put my efforts into planting a pretty little garden instead. How I enjoyed the flowers that bloomed!

I could see their bright petals from my kitchen window while I did the dishes.

Then one day I went to check on my little flower bed and was shocked by what I saw. Poison ivy everywhere! I was baffled! It hadn’t crossed my mind that the roots would come up from underground and take over.

My “little” weed problem had turned into a full blown poison ivy take over in the blink of an eye. We can easily say the same thing about our lives, can’t we?

We ignore the sin in our lives. Because sin is messy. Getting rid of it is unpleasant and often painful. It requires us to acknowledge that God is holy and perfect and we are completely not. But left unchecked it only grows and grows and grows. It doesn’t matter that you have pretty flowers popping up here and there.

Who wants to risk picking them when there are toxic leaves everywhere?

So what do you do when you realize things have gotten out of hand? If you are a gardener then you suit up and get to work removing the offending weeds. You work at it diligently watching over the bed for any signs of regrowth. You tend to the flowers and care for their roots – repairing any damage done when you cleaned out the bed.

But we are not the gardeners of our souls.

The miraculous act of salvation from the cross has transferred ownership of our weed filled plots to Jesus. He bought you, sinful poison plants and all. And He has a plan. Glory!

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB

He continues to change us and mold us with great kindness and love. This process of pruning is far less painful when we lay our lives at his feet and allow the Holy Spirit to sever any lingering ties to willful sin.

So hand over the trowel and trimmer to the Lord today and let him do his good and purposeful work on any weedy patch of earthen soul you may have.