Weeds

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to
work it and keep it. (Genesis 2:15 )

I’m not a very good gardener.
Sure, I can grow things.  In fact, I just enjoyed some wax beans that
came out of my garden. They were delicious.
What I mean is, the weeds always win. Always.
I drive past other people’s gardens and they are beautiful, weed-free
examples of stewardship.
Not mine.  Oh, in the beginning, I do pretty well. When I till the garden
and put the seeds in, it looks very nice. There’s not a weed to be seen.
I even do pretty well when they first start growing. I till between the
rows, hoe between the plants, and even get down on my hands and
knees and pull weeds.
Until July.
Once the plants are up and doing well, the little tiny weeds just starting
to peek up between the plants don’t seem all that threatening. Then
July brings us hot, humid, sunny weather that’s perfect for aggressively growing weeds and mosquitoes.
So, when it 98 degrees out with 90% humidity, and there are legions of
kamikaze mosquitoes that have somehow figured out I missed dousing
my right ear canal with mil-spec DEET, I seem to lose my motivation in
the battle against the weeds.
Nonetheless, as I was picking those wax beans I couldn’t help but thank
the God of Abundance for the incredible bounty he provided in the
midst of the weeds and pestilence. There are buckets and buckets of
beans and peas and potatoes in there. The onions and the basil and the
tomatoes and the peppers and even the ground cherries are prospering
and bearing much fruit—despite my less-than-perfect horticultural
efforts.
Even though the first Adam was put here to tend a garden and he also
failed miserably, in His love and mercy the Father sent Jesus, the second
Adam, to be the light of the world and the living water that makes it
possible to be fruitful for the kingdom.
Sure, we all have weeds in our life, but we can still be fruitful when we
grow love and peace and mercy in our lives in the name of Jesus. Our
gardens are not perfect and won’t be until we’re back where we belong.
And that annoying buzzing in our ears that we’re not good enough, or
it’s just not possible, or even God can’t solve it?
Thoughts like that deserve to be swatted.

Today’s praise

Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last
Adam became a life-giving spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45 )