Weeds are the bane of me. I am NOT a fan of weeds (I like them less than squirrels). It seem like even if I put down double layers of weed barrier under my landscaping rocks, the pesky plants still find a way to grow on top of dirt wedged in the rocks. Grrrrr . . . . Every late spring and summer, I spend hours in my backyard weeding. If you are a gardener or have even a small lawn or potted plants, I suspect you can relate.

We’ve All Got Weeds

I looked online and could quickly identify some of the dreaded vegetation in my yard. Carpetweed.Are we supposed to walk on it? Large crabgrass. That one does make me crabby. Prickly lettuce. Yep, that one has fine little barbs that hurt. Oh, the organic gardening site advises: Wear gloves. Common cocklebur. Common ragweed. Redroot pigweed. I’m not hog wild about the pigweed, which is a stubborn botanical nemesis of mine.

Years ago my friend Renee shared the phrase, “I’ve got enough weeds in my own backyard.” Her meaning? Don’t go pointing out the flaws and mistakes of others around you, notice and work on your own your imperfections.

Naming The Dreaded Vegetation

So let me put names to some of the weeds in my own life. Grumbling. Impatience. Fear. Criticism. Gulp. . . . I trust I’m not alone in these noxious behaviors. People who know how to keep going strong in life are aware of invasive creepers in their own lives. Bend-and-don’t-break people are reticent to pull up and toss the pesky attitudes and actions that creep in. And a note from the vegetation website: Pulled plants can re-root.

“Pulled plants can re-root.” Now that’s a phrase worth pondering. We need to dig down to the root of our own weeds and deal with the underlying problems, forsaking excuses or ignoring the need to change. Gulp.

The good news with our troubling vines and shoots? God knows all about them and reminds us that He’s the Master Gardener. We don’t have chop, spray, and pull our problem weeds ourselves.

Help From the Master Gardener

Galatians 6:7-9 in the New Testament addresses our nettlesome vegetation. “. . . What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit.”

So be quick to get rid of weeds of grumbling, impatience, criticism, and all the troublesome rest. And go deep to the roots. If you need any unwanted vegetation to practice on, I’ll meet you in my backyard.