Pulling weeds the other day was a mess. I’m not one of those people who weed and garden every week. No, I’m more of a semiannual or annual person. I like to give the weeds a fighting chance. But…it was getting harder to find the sidewalk because of the overgrowth, and we were afraid search and rescue might be called because a small child wandered into what we call our “flower garden”. So on a beautiful Saturday morning, I went out and did battle with the forces of darkness. Giving the weeds 5 or 6 months to grow means they have a chance to get some decent roots. Pulling them out means digging in the dirt, and getting to spend some quality time with its many offspring/shoots. All you gardeners are out there shaking your head sadly. You want to tell me that if I will pull weeds regularly, then they will just be little shoots that will come up quickly and easily. By waiting as long as I do, I end up with Audrey II, the plant from Little Shop of Horrors. Perhaps you’re right. All I know is that committing an hour every Saturday morning to gardening, I risk giving up on watching all the amazing infomercials. How can I give up shows for things like the Autoflosser, which can floss your teeth and be used to get that grime out from between your toes (no additional attachments required), and the Remote Finder, a small electronic alarm which causes your TV or other remote to give off a 140dB alarm if it is not used for more than ten minutes? Saturday morning TV also offers 28 different shows on how to become a millionaire through internet sales of 8 track tape collections. (Yes, one day this collection of ’70s garage bands from Sri Lanka will be worth more than the $55,000 I paid for it.)
So it comes down to the problem of choices. Do I weed the garden, or enrich my understanding of all the worlds greatest inventions (available for only 23 easy monthly payments of $29.95 plus shipping, handling, and processing charges)? It’s not an easy choice. The infomercial tells me to call within the next ten minutes and I’ll get the free bonus gifts of a magic garlic grater and 10 acres on Pluto, for only the cost of additional postage, handling and processing. I know that 10 acres on Pluto isn’t what it used to be since Pluto is no longer a planet, but it’s still a great deal! So, if I’m weeding the garden, how will I know when the 10 minutes start? And what about Sassy Lassy the new make up for dogs. Our dog has more of a winter fur tone, and so far they’ve only offered make up for the Spring and Fall colored dogs. There is so much to do, so much to worry about, so much that demands my attention.
King David, author of the Psalms, was in the midst of a great deal of conflict and trouble when God spoke to him. God reminded him that He is the Lord, and in control of all things. Psalm 46 says, “ God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble… “Be still, and know that I am God;”” We live in a world of choices, and sometimes our choices can be overwhelming. Do I do this or that? Do I go here or there? Along with all of our choices, there are so many different pressures to have us do one thing or another. I can’t tell you to choose gardening over TV. I can’t tell you whether to choose crinkle-cut fries or julienne-fries. All I know is that when things seem to be too big, too troublesome, too hard. I have a God is able to do far more than I need. His grace extends farther than my sin. His love reaches farther than my failures. His peace covers father than my fears. His strength blankets my weaknesses. I have a God who offers me His presence, but to first I have to quit my striving and sit still. I have to give up trying to be in command. God wants to be my fortress…I just have to quit running away. I have to let God be my God. Well, the weeding is done for the rest of the year, but I’m not heading back to the infomercials. I’m going to set a spell, and let the presence and power of God wash over me. As for the paint-sprayer/pizza-oven/ and auto-vac in one? Sorry, I’ll have to wait until you make it to the dollar store.
Chad