The Incredible Weed
We spray it. We pull it. We curse it. We do all we can to get rid of it but it is always there. Despite all our efforts, it keeps coming back. What is this pest we spend so much energy and money on? THE WEED! The awful, bothersome, despicable, incredible…WEED! How so?
It is true that the weed has been badly maligned down through the ages and deservedly so. The weed referred to in the Bible as the tare had seeds which were extremely poisonous to man and beast. They could cause sleepiness, nausea, convulsions, and even death. It is no wonder Jesus called them “the sons of the evil one.” And yet, for all its well-deserved, bad reputation, I got to thinking the other day while I was trying to pull these “sons of the evil one” from my garden, that the weed has some qualities we could all use.
First, think of its mobility. It never ceases to amaze me how a weed can find its way from one spot to another. I have even found it growing in hanging baskets several feet above the ground. Secondly, think of its durability: do all you want to it and it seems to have the last laugh. Regardless of our efforts to get rid of it, it keeps coming back. Thirdly, think of its versatility: it seems to be able to grow anywhere, sometimes it appears the weed can even grow out of rocks. Lastly, think of its explosive growth: if only our vegetables could grow as fast as the weed. One day NO weed, the next full grown!
CONSIDER when Jesus said to His disciples as He sent them out in to the world, “…so be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16).
Perhaps we could say, “Be formidable as the weed but sweet smelling as the lilies of the field.”
Rev. Wendell Mettey
4/30/2014
