Pulling Weeds

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 1 John 1:8-2:2 

Bird of Paradise plants on our yard

One of the most wonderful thing about living in Liberia is that the climate is tropical. That means plants grow almost effortlessly year around. Right now on our yard, besides beautiful greenery, we have multiple flowering plants and several huge flowering trees.

And then there is the carpet grass. I don't know the real name for it, but we discovered this amazing stuff while living in the Ivory Coast some years ago. Unlike regular grass, which grows up in a single blade, carpet grass spreads via narrow trailers that lie flat on the ground. Grassy blades sprout out of the trailer, eventually creating a thick carpet of grass. And, the best part of all, if we take proper care of carpet grass during the first year after we plant it, the yard will look great year around with minimal mowing.

However, in order for it to be beautiful, we must remove everything that is not carpet grass from the area. All normal grass and all weeds on the entire yard must be pulled out by their roots. If we simply mow them down and don't get the roots, they will be towering above the carpet grass in no time. And if we are busy and let the weeds go to seed, the yard gets really ugly.

It is the same in my spiritual life. When God convicts me of sin, I need to repent immediately—to pull up that weed. If I allow sin to "go to seed," it's going to be that much harder to get rid of in the future.

By God's grace and with His strength, I want to keep the weeds away. Fewer weeds make for a much more beautiful yard and life.

See The Myth of the "Perfect" Quiet Time.

See "The Goat was Pregnant"—and Other Excuses for Lying.