Wintertime Weeds

Last week, we “sprung forward,” so spring is just around the corner, right?!?

More daylight and warmer temperatures are the perfect opportunity to get out in the yard after taking the winter off. There was no need to mow and I strongly dislike raking, so very little was done in the yard for the past four months or so. No big deal, right?

Oh, how quickly we forget. The last time the grass was mowed last fall, it was edged, even, and (so I thought)…….weedless. Last week, there were a few sprigs of green grass trying to break through – but the most evident arrival was that of the weeds. In the yard. Around the mailbox. Among the mulch and the shrubs. WHERE DID YOU COME FROM AND WHO INVITED YOU? Asking for a friend.

I visited this website and was welcomed by the following quote: “Not everything goes dormant in the wintertime. Winter weeds are thriving and will wreak havoc in your garden. Be sure you’re prepared.” There’s much more to this statement than what you’ll see in your yard. That is applicable in life, too.

When you think of the word “winter,” what comes to mind? Here are a few words that immediately surfaced: Cold. Sweatpants. Fires. Soup. Gloves. Hibernate. Rest. Less daylight. None of those words really drive me towards a ton of activity; instead, “winter” lends itself to a focus on rest and recovery.

While all of us need “seasons” of rest in our lives, moving to a complete state of ignoring or avoiding will potentially lead to the unwanted arrival of “weeds” in our lives. Think about how quickly “weeds” can pop up in (or take over) our thought lives, our families, our marriages, our finances, our friendships, our work places, our ministries, our health, our dreams, our neighborhoods, and our Spiritual walks. “Not everything goes dormant in the wintertime.” Warning: our failure to acknowledge the presence of weeds does not eliminate their existence.

When we have taken four months off from anything, how can we expect things to just “maintain” the state at which we left them? If I don’t workout for four months, I’ll lose muscle. I’ll lose stamina. I’ll lose motivation. There is NO WAY I can walk back into the gym four months later and just pick back up as if I’d never left. Nope. I’ll be backing down on the weight to gradually build up again. I’ve let weeds move in. If I disconnect from personal growth in my Spiritual walk, I’ll likely find that I’ve become disinterested in and uncommitted to the things that help me grow and stay healthy (Bible reading/study, prayer, fellowship, serving, praise and worship). I’ve allowed weeds to move in.

Question for us to ponder: Why is it that we can easily find ourselves questioning “how the weeds got here” when we’ve done little to nothing to keep them out? In terms of the yard, do you ever find yourself complaining because “these weeds wouldn’t be here if the neighbor would just take care of their yard?” If we find it easy to cast blame on our neighbor every time a weed appears in our yard, do we equally give them all of the credit when our yard looks beautiful?

I can’t help but think of the Parable of the Talents. Two of the men took responsibility for their “talents” – what was entrusted to them – and they made much of them. One man, however, took no responsibility and simply cast blame for what he didn’t do. Sounds to me like he had some weeds in his yard, too. Must’ve been the neighbor!!!

No, I don’t like cold weather.

No, I don’t like raking.

No, I did not tend to my yard for four months.

Yes, I do love to have a thick, lush, green lawn full of grass…..not weeds.

My three excuses contradict my one desired outcome. I was dormant…..the weeds were not. Time to get back to work!