Tend to your garden.

I've mentioned before that my husband does not know when to stop expanding our "yard."  It seems like he adds to it every year.  When he's gone on the road to work, I am left to mow it.  I'm not exaggerating in the least when I say our yard can best be measured in acres (yes, that's plural.)  I love spring and the rebirth of everything that appeared to have died over the winter. Sure, my allergies flare up, and the grass begins to call my name.  Still, I love the hope that comes with this season.  

I woke up on this particular morning with a determination to get our mower started and do the first mowing of the year.  To my surprise, the mower easily started once I added a little gas to it.  Yes!  My plan was going to come together.  I quickly grabbed my phone, put my earbuds in, and pulled my hair back.  I didn't even take time to put on "real" clothes.  Pajamas would do nicely.  I was actually enjoying the peacefulness of sitting on the mower with music playing loudly in my ears.  I finished the part closest to the house in front and headed for the field across the drive.  Just as the poem says, "the best-laid plans of mice and men...," my plans would go awry.  The mower suddenly died and refused to go any further.  

While I was on the mower and listening to some of my favorite music, I was thinking about the necessity of mowing.  I also thought of how I'd like to have pretty flower beds to decorate the yard.  I reminded myself of how much work is involved to keep flower beds pretty.  No matter what steps you take, it seems weeds always find their way into flower beds.  If you want to keep your beds nice and pretty, you must weed them out regularly.  I know myself better than anyone, and I know that I hate to weed flower beds.  It wouldn't be too bad if I'd just commit to doing it daily, but I inevitably wait until the weeds multiply and become a much bigger hassle to deal with.  I lose interest and give the beds over to the weeds.

Similarly, we all have "weeds" in our lives.  They pop up randomly and threaten to take over if we don't tend to them.  Some weeds are easily removed.  Others, if given the opportunity, take root and are difficult to get rid of.  If we are not careful, the weeds will start to choke out the beautiful things in our garden.  We may think that it won't hurt to leave those weeds for another day, but if we aren't careful, we can become overwhelmed by them.  What kinds of "weeds" are littering your garden?  Will you pluck them out while you can, or will you let them take root in you?  I pray that I might be aware of the things/people that are weeds in my life and that I will remove them before they choke out the more precious things I care about.