Weeds in the garden.

Michelle and I made a valiant attempt at growing a vegetable garden this year. Both of us had fond childhood memories of walking into our respective father's well-tended gardens to pick fresh cherry tomatoes or brush the dirt off of a just-picked carrot. So fresh, so good. So... we gave it a try this year, after years of living where a garden was impossible, impractical, or otherwise ill-advised. Some good friends in Belding offered a spot of land on their own property to plant whatever we wanted, since we are still renting a house and digging up the perfectly manicured lawn at our house would be in "bad-taste" (not to mention it would probably wreak havoc with the underground sprinkler system). We planted corn, tomatoes, purple green beans (really, they are purple, but cook up green - who knew?), bell peppers, hot peppers, cukes and even some watermelon. We planted and went home. All was well. We were sure to have a bountiful harvest at the end of the season. No problem.
Unfortunately, we found it a little inconvenient to drive out to Belding to tend the garden regularly and soon realized that by not having the garden in our own backyard, some unwelcome additions began growing where we had planted our veggies. I don't remember planting all those weeds. I'm sure that someone must have sabotaged our lovely little farm. I'm still amazed at the number of weeds that sprung up and the innumerable varieties of weeds that have grown there. We spent a lot of time trying to keep the invaders out, but without a daily trip to the garden, our efforts were in vain. Weeds and corn growing side by side. Sure, we've gotten a lot of great vegetables from the garden - crunchy cucumbers and juicy tomatoes and golden corn - but I can't help but wonder how much bigger and better they would have been if they didn't have to fight for water and nutrients with the weeds. We were just there on Sunday afternoon, picking a few more beans and peppers, but the "garden" (I use that term only in the sense that we actually DID plant something there) just didn't LOOK like a garden. A real mess. A little embarrassing, but hey, I'm a city boy - I get my veggies from Meijer!


What's the point? If you've spent any time in church at all, you know that congregations are filled with good, growing, vibrant believers who are hungry to please God and who readily accept change and innovation for the good of the Kingdom. But those same congregations usually have a few members who are disgruntled, disenfranchised and generally irritated about just about everything. Sadly, even though they sit alongside believers who are experiencing great growth and a closer relationship with God, they somehow fail to grab hold of what He wants for their lives. They are still "in the garden", but there is no fruit in their lives. Nothing new, nothing sweet. It's a shame, but it happens in every church across the country. Jesus even talked about it when he referenced the weeds and good crops in Matthew 13, so you know the problem has been around for a long time. 


What do you do about it? Nothing really. You don't pull them out - that would just destroy the good crops. Instead, you continue to feed and water the whole garden, hoping that more and more of what is planted begins to blossom and bear fruit. The strong will grow stronger and maybe those on the fringe will begin to experience growth, too. You never can tell. So, you keep feeding and watering and tending and pruning. Will you lose some? Probably. But you stay on course, you promote the vision and you press on. I love my job and I love my "garden". Let's grow together and make sure that all of us are following the words of Jesus in John 15:8 - "When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father." (NLT). 


What do YOU think?