My four-year-old granddaughter followed closely behind me one afternoon as I pulled weeds from my flower beds. Her small hands grasped the ugly nuisances right along with mine. After we had gathered a small pile of weeds to throw away, Selah asked, “Nana, why do you pull the weeds?” Although I’m retired, the teacher in me came out. This was a teachable moment.
I described how rapidly weeds grow and how they can get so big they will choke out the pretty flowers. I also explained how flowers look prettier without the weeds hanging around them.
“Selah, did you know our hearts are like flower beds and get weeds too?”
She frowned. “No, what do you mean, Nana?”
“Well, when our hearts are full of love, kindness, and obedience, they are like a pretty flower garden for God. But when we say bad words, don’t tell the truth, or disobey, we grow weeds in our hearts. It’s just as important to pull the weeds out of our hearts as it is out of Nana’s flower beds.”
I smiled when Selah took her hand and felt her heart under her shirt as if she wanted to pluck heart weeds right then and there. Ahh, the innocence of a child.
Adult weeds might be bitterness, hate, selfishness, deception, gossip, entitlement, or complacency. The spiritual weed list is quite lengthy. Even so, the more we cultivate our heart gardens by eliminating sinful attributes, the more our spiritual flowers of love, forgiveness, grace, patience, and hospitality will grow lovelier, and the peace of God will rule in our hearts.
What spiritual weeds do you need to pluck from your heart?
(Photo courtesy of pixabay and summa.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Becky Van Vleet is a retired teacher and principal and award-winning multi-genre author. She and her husband make their home close to Colorado Springs, where she enjoys gardening, hiking, oil painting, power walking, and spending time with her family, especially reading books to her grandchildren. A member of ACFW, Becky has devoted her website to creating and preserving family memories and sharing family stories for the next generations through her monthly blogs. You can find her at: https://beckyvanvleet.com.