Phyllis Nissila

I weeded out back today ridding flower and shrub beds of what I call the “creeping crud” that produces minute purple blooms that hug the ground but that has a thick, tough, tangle of a root-system mess that spreads quickly and chokes off lesser—even greater—blooms in its path. And on the surface, it looks so sweet and innocent, so delicate and lovely.

Then, on the side of the house, I routed “the forest,” as I called it, of baby trees, “gifts” from the neighbor’s yard, none over two inches high. But in contrast to the ax I needed to hack some of the crud from its earthen moorings the thin fibrous roots of the trees slipped from the soil with a gentle pull. And finding this, like finding the dense root balls of the tiny purple creepers, revealed another surprise: the unwanted tree shoots that would if left alone grow to many feet above the house tops were far more fragile in “infancy” than one would imagine…

And so my thoughts turned to “sin weeds,” if you will, that can appear so sweet, delicate, and lovely at the outset but if not dealt with soon enough can produce a tangle of trouble to deal with later on.

At other times, sin that seems as if it might be a formidable “foe” to rout from mind and heart, like the tree-starters, considering their potential, can be dealt with much more easily than one might think, with a little help from the Gardener of Gardeners.

Consider what God offers those (besides me) who struggle with sin weeds today:

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

Jesus, both Son of God and Son of Man, knew temptation. He experienced struggles with evil and He overcame. In Him, we are encouraged that we, too, can overcome (Romans 8:37).

But for those who choose Him as Savior, Jesus went further: He took the life-choking tangle of untended evil that sin produces with Him on another tree: this one literal, fully grown, cut in two, and fashioned into a cross. On this tree Jesus then paid the price—our price—for it all.

And for those yet to choose, the offer still stands.

“Come to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden,” He says, “and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

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Photo from the public domain