Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Beauty, Part 2



“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ Matt.13: 27

The other day, I shared that I love to be outdoors.  Unlike most other people I  know, though, when I work in the garden, what I most love to do is weed.  “Weed?  Why would you like to weed? " you ask. Fair question; here’s the answer. 

When I look at my garden, I enjoy the flowers, not the weeds. I never plant the weeds but somehow they grow anyway. When they do, they impede my view of the garden I’ve worked so hard to create.  It’s worth it to me to invest time pulling the weeds in order to display the beauty of the flowers.

I don’t enjoy the process of weeding, working my muscles to the point of fatigue, and getting filthy as you can see from the photo.  But, keeping in mind that all my hard work will transform the garden into something beautiful motivates me to keep going until it’s finished. 

This concept applies to other areas of my life.  And when I’m tired of the hard work, and hard times, I try to keep in mind that there’s a goal God has in mind for me and in the end (whenever that is). People will see the difference and it’ll be worth it. 


4 comments:

Beth K. Fortune said...

From one garden lover to another . . . i totally agree!

Cathy Baker said...

And from another garden lover, I couldn't agree more. I have lots of weeding to do in my yard. sigh! Great analogy, Ellen.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful way to illustrate perseverance. Thanks for the encouragement!

Ellen Andersen said...

Thanks C.C. A tough lesson to learn, and to remember, but an important one. Maybe that's why God keeps teaching me over and over.