For more than a week I have stared out my back patio door at the plants overcome by weeds that is my back yard. The people living in our house before us were the original homeowners. It is apparent to us that they put a lot of time, money and energy into planting nice plants in this yard adding an orchard of lacy leafed nandina plants. Those dainty plants are heartier than they appear producing lovely leaves that change colors with the seasons. These sprawling plants grow right in front of a wooden fence at the very back of our yard. They might be nice to look at if it were weed-free manicured plants in front of the fence and pretty row of flowers. But we can't even see the nandinas for all the wild vines completely covering them and we can forget any flowers ever surviving in that jungle. Even though the foliage in our yard is lush and green, it is deceiving as good because they are mostly weeds and the beauty of the real plants can't even been seen.The weeds would be easy enough to remove with a little work if I'd just get my sorry self outside to do it. Procrastination is my enemy. Distractions plague me all day long and I lose focus of what tasks really need my attention. For the past couple of weeks, our weather here has been rainy, sticky and wet. Breeding conditions for mosquitoes are at a high right now. The last two days the sky has brighten and the sun has shone down to dry up the yard warming up temperatures significantly. Procrastinations because of heat, bugs, and the draw of inside comforts has kept me from working in my yard.
Yesterday afternoon I made a meager attempt to pull weeds and cut down the new sprouting of wayward acorns planted by squirrels. With bug spray, applied to my arms, legs and shirt, the mosquitoes seemed to leave those areas of my body alone. Not wanting to rub bug spray on my face, it was left as an open target and the dive-bombers made their attack. My weeding attempt lasted a total of 5 minutes before I called defeat and retreated back into the house. Therefore, today my tactics to braving the bugs and freeing my nandinas from weed destruction will be different. I have a plan...it would seem that spraying all the plants with yard repellent first would keep the annoying little blood-suckers at bay. Next, I will apply an armor of repellent to my body, without neglecting my face, leaving nothing exposed to the bites of the Texas swamp bugs. Wearing the proper armor, my hope is to free my nandina plants from the sprawling weeds covering their beauty while protecting myself from the attacks of the mosquitoes.
Freeing the nandina plants of the weedy vine nuisance could be a nice metaphor for us as Christians battling the struggles of daily life. If I were a preacher type, maybe I could come up with a related message comparing my life to the nandinas and letting the weeds, my worries and other worldliness, overtake me so that my thinking of what to do is a tangled mess. The mosquito eating concerns attack and keep me from doing what is needed to take out the vine growing concerns of my life. If I don't use repellant on all areas, not just some, then my freedom won't be complete.
Well, I'm not a preacher type, but believe me there's a message in there somewhere. Money, finding a job, grown kids' problems, this house, that backyard mess, even worry over my husband's health are all the weeds that cover me right now. If only I could clear those weeds of worry and free the Christ-following soul God meant for me to be, then like my nandinas, others would see the beauty of Jesus in me season after season. The mosquito attack of unexpected car repairs, plumbing repair, doctor visits, trees falling, and threatening storms can all be repelled if I'd simply apply the full armor of God's word. The Father is the best repellant for such weeds of life. It is through Christ that order and freedom can overtake my weed infested life.
Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge. ~ Psalm 31:4
