Gardens and Grace: When God whispers through the weeds

I've said many times that God always talks to me when my hands are in the dirt.  I confess that my hands haven't been in the dirt too much this summer.  I've been buried under a lot of other things that were pressing in on me, so Paul has done most of the gardening the last couple of months.  I've hardly been out in our garden at all.

We recently had about 10 days of company, and I happened to look out the window last weekend and realize that the weeds had completely overtaken one of my flower beds.  We've had a ton of rain, and it didn't take long for those nasty weeds to overwhelm the good plants.

So I got out there on Monday and started ripping weeds out of the dirt with a vengeance.  And there, with my hands in the dirt, my face toward the Son, the time for listening had come...

"These weeds are crazy.  How do they grow so fast?  (Like the weeds in my heart-- discontentment, worry, anxiousness, lack of trust.  How quickly they block out the good things- the love, joy, and peace.)"

"The good plants look positively anemic.  How do the weeds do so well?  Those rust spots on the hollyhocks-- they're killing the whole plant, and the flowers would be so pretty otherwise."

"I have to get down so close to the dirt to yank out that root.  Those sticker weeds really hurt."

And then the Lord whispered to me through the weeds...

"I know some of the things you are going through really hurt right now.  I have to get down close to the dirt to yank out the weeds.  That discontentment is killing you.  That anxious worry, it's destroying the beauty of Christ in you.  Your nourishment comes from the Son, and these weeds in your life are blocking that nourishment from reaching deep to the root of your heart.  They are growing up and stealing the life from the good fruit that I'm working out in you."

And then He whispered, "I know those sticker weeds really hurt.  I remember some thorns that really hurt too, but I bought you with the blood shed by those thorns, and if you abide in me and let me weed out the worry and discontentment and anxious care, I promise I will bring forth much fruit."

Oh, dear Lord, keep whispering.  How I need to hear You through the weeds.