Fighting A Non-Stop Battle - In my Gardens and In my Life!

I believe I have written about this topic in previous years. But, sometimes the on-going frustration from one of life’s struggles reaches a boiling point and a person, in this case myself, can at times . . . EXPLODE! I am in an on-going war with weeds, specifically chick weed!

I have been working on the gardens at our home in Alaska. Yes, we were gone and out of state for most of 20 months as I served in Florida. Our front flower garden took ‘major reconstructive surgery.’ But, thanks to recent high school graduate, St. John member Luke Stanley, the overgrown weeds and brush have been cleared out. We have a newly planted flower garden. Thanks, Luke!

However, my vegetable garden is a different story, a never-ending battle. I weeded my vegetables on Saturday, June 14, and my garden looked good. New plants were popping out of the ground and I had it pretty clear of weeds. However, I was out of town from Monday, June 16 through Saturday night, June 21. I went halibut fishing and attended a church convention. Then on Monday, June 23, when I looked at my garden after returning, the weeds were trying to take over . . . again! All this in just one week! These weeds can choke out the growth of my edible plants. My least favorite of these pests is chick weed.

During the time that my vegetables were growing one of my daily devotional readings from the Today’s Light Bible was from Mark 4, a chapter of agricultural parables from Jesus. This reading reminded me of the parable Jesus told in a similar setting in Matthew 13, the Parable of the Weeds. “24 He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.” (Matthew 13:24-26) As a gardener, I understand this dilemma. It seems like I only took a short rest and the weeds appeared!

Later in Matthew 13 Jesus explains the parable. 37 . . . "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. . . “ (Matthew 13:37-39 ESV) I feel like I am in a constant battle with my enemy, the weeds.

However, we are all in a constant battle with our enemy, the devil. He is always planting seeds of temptation, seeds of doubt, seeds of selfishness, and seeds rebellion. Our enemy seeks to choke out our faith in Jesus. He seeks to hide our Lord and His love from us behind the tangles of life’s concerns and temptation.

Thankfully, by telling this parable, Scripture reveals to us that Jesus understands our plight. Jesus is keeping watch over the garden of His people. He sees the attacks of our enemy. Jesus died to pay for the times we have fallen prey to the wiles of Satan. Jesus rose to win eternal life for all who believe in Him. Jesus will bring His people home, to heaven, in the final harvest. Jesus has won the war. Yet, while we are in this life, we still face the battles.

Coincidentally, our Epistle lesson for this coming Sunday, June 29, will instruct us about’ the works of the flesh’ (Galatians 5:19-21), and the fruit of the Spirit. You know the verse. “22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) Thankfully Jesus has sent His Spirit to work God’s fruit in us, even as our enemy seeks to sow seeds of disaster.

How is your garden growing – the garden in your yard, AND the garden in your life? Are the love of God, the victory of Jesus, and the gift of the Spirit growing fruit in your life as you live in this world full of weeds and thorns and thistles?