Wash yourselves, clean up your lives; remove every speck of evil in what you do before Me. Put an end to all your evil.
Learn to do good; commit yourselvesto seeking justice. Make right for the world’s most vulnerable—the oppressed, the orphaned, the widow. (Isaiah 1: 16-17 The Voice)
Learn to do good; commit yourselvesto seeking justice. Make right for the world’s most vulnerable—the oppressed, the orphaned, the widow. (Isaiah 1: 16-17 The Voice)
Tall weeds protruded from delicate pink blooms. The annoying intruders blemished the landscape in front of my home.
When I set down containers of new plants, more pesky weeds caught my attention. Their roots spread out across the mulch and some intertwined with flower stems.
As I dug holes for my fresh flowers, I also yanked weed after weed from the ground.
Sweat dripped down my face. Dirt clung to my knees as I knelt down to fill each hole with flourishing pink blooms.
After the new flowers were positioned, I focused on weeds woven into my existing flowers. My small shovel dug down to get their roots. With a sense of satisfaction, I looked at the long weeds dangling from my hands.
Satisfaction turned to alarm when I noticed broken foliage laying on the ground. Even though I tried to extract the weeds carefully, they refused to let go. Unfortunately, my zeal in removing the weeds also broke off my flowers.
Blood dripped down my arm after broken stems punctured my thin skin. Another consequence of unwelcome invaders who preyed on my garden.
While weeds grew within the flowers, they hampered healthy growth. But removal inflicted even more damage.
Flowers will grow new shoots and eventually produce healthy vegetation. Over time, my battered arm will heal.
Like weeds, bad habits, addictions, unhealthy relationships, unforgiveness, greed… strangle and damage lives. Elimination doesn’t come easily and more damage may occur.
Pruning and untangling the intruders will eventually allow lives to heal and flourish despite the times of pain and sadness.
Creator, thank you for pruning the unhealthy parts of our lives so we can be fruitful and follow your path. Amen
