Winter has arrived. This post is long overdue, but today it poked me to put my swirling thoughts into words. It started with a picture. This is a picture of a man pruning a small garden of plants in the evening or the middle of the night, I cannot tell, but it doesn’t matter. It feels parental in an odd way. I have indoor plants, and I’ve had outdoor plants, and when I’ve watered them or pruned them, it feels motherly.
The plants remind me of my growing children, now teenagers. As the description states, I don’t force them to grow up because they will eventually grow older and mature. But I will stand in the gap on what chokes them from flourishing beautifully.
I consider myself a prayer warrior. The world is not easy, and I often get down on my knees in fervent prayer to remove nefarious plots against my kids. Day or night, and sometimes through the night. I realize I can’t protect them forever, and from everything in life. We all have our own journeys to walk because the decisions we make today have consequences for tomorrow. And sometimes, good and evil must coexist so that one chooses the good over the evil.
I recently reread a parable scripture that the picture I included reminded me of.
The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30)
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
The Parable of the Tares Explained (Matthew 13:36-43)
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
In my small-minded understanding, I can see that the sower is Jesus. He’s the good seed. As the gardener of my children’s lives, my job is to bring them to the soil, hence, the garden or field, and spread the seed (The Word of God). Proverbs 22: 6 tells us… “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”
If I continually water the soil, God can make that soil fruitful in both of my daughters’ lives. And, the weeds He will burn away. The Bible tells us in Mark 4 9, “He who has ears to hear, let them hear!” May we hear the call to God’s voice.
I pray that all the weeds that have choked you be bound and burned away. Grow in the knowledge of the Lord, and never let anyone quench your fire. Life is worth the fight.
Until next time…
Be well. Be safe. Be happy!