Friday afternoon Julie and I spent the afternoon doing yard work. we began the day at Home Depot getting weed killer, several flowers, planting tools, and miracle grow.
I sprayed all the weeds, and there were many, in the yard while Julie weeded and worked the soil in the flower garden. After some enjoyable work we left to go have dinner at my grandparents house. It was on the way home from dinner that I saw what is pictured to the left: A weed, not growing in the yard or flower bed, but growing in the asphalt street leading to my house.
The analogy hit me in an instant. While it takes great effort, care and intentionality to grow a nice lawn, or a beautiful flower garden – it requires no work at all to grow weeds.
This analogy is so true in any community, but especially a community of Faith. It takes almost no effort at all to grow dissension, bitterness, strife, malcontent and gossip. They can grow easily in any place. They need no cultivating, no fertilizer, no help – they just grow and grow. Then they spread and spread. Then they grow some more. Eventually, if weeds are not dealt with they will overtake all the good life in your yard or flower garden.
On the contrary your lawn and flowers need attention, cultivating, intentional care. They also need protection from the weeds. You ignore the weeds, you chose to bring harm to all the good life around them. The problem is: It’s hard, often times uncomfortable, dirty work.
If we don’t confront and weed out the dissension, bitterness, strife, malcontent and gossip in our churches the good will always suffer. You ignore it, you chose to bring harm on all the good you could do. The problem is: It’s hard, often times uncomfortable, dirty work.
– Brad
bradraby.com 