As I was helping my dad clean and landscape our backyard last week, I realized some things about weeds that I never really thought about up until that point. That is probably because I rarely do yard work, but that’s beside the point. When my dad asked if I could help him get all the weeds up, I began to think about why we get rid of weeds in the first place – one reason being, they don’t fit “the look” or the standard when it comes to a quality yard. Another being, they tend to hinder other plants and flowers in the garden from growing. I also learned that weeds easily come up if you just grab them by the root. Now, this editorial isn’t just a lesson on weeds and the damage they can do to your yard, but it is a wake up call and lesson on the weeds we allow to manifest around us and the damage they can do to our lives.
When it comes to how you want to be represented and how you present yourself, what and who you choose to surround yourself with are a direct reflection of you. People often say, birds of a feather flock together which isn’t necessarily true. It is very possible for you to have people in your circle who carry themselves differently than you. Some important questions to ask yourself are, do you want the company you keep to taint your image? When you look at the character of your friends, do they carry themselves in similar ways that you do? Are they upholding and staying true to the same morals and ideals that you are? Whether your answers to the questions are yes or no, you have to ask yourself if these people are weeds, and if these weeds in your life are hindering your growth into the flower that you are meant to become.
Weeds tend to grow so rapidly that they prevent the growth of a lot of the other flowers in the garden. They compete for nutrients, sunlight, and space with the other plants, so much so that they could end up covering the whole garden if they’re not weeded out (no pun intended). Again, I’d ask you to examine your own personal garden – is there anyone in your life with weed-like behavior keeping you from your growth? Sometimes, we unknowingly make room for people in our lives that are going to hold us back. We let them take over, which is hard to see at times because people can be manipulative and conniving, but that’s why it’s important that we seek God for discernment. People can put on a front like they’re on your team and end up plotting on the ways they can take over and take advantage. Sometimes, they scheme and say things to make you feel comfortable while they’re really just encouraging your stagnation so they can surpass you up in the process. Weeds truly just want to be flowers. They are the type of plants that nobody chooses to have so they do what they can to get the same type of attention a flower would get. These weeds need picking before they even get the chance to do what they do.
When it comes to picking weeds, it’s very simple – if you grab them at their root, they will come right up. This honestly shocked me because I thought about how much damage the weeds had caused and how long they’ve just been growing consistently in my backyard. It didn’t make sense to me at first but I realized they came up so easily because they had no foundation. With no foundation and no deep roots, anything can be easily uprooted. Those weeds were in my yard for a really long time, but despite the history my yard has with the weeds, if they have no substance and serve no purpose for the yard, there is no need for them. We hold on to a lot of people in our lives because of the history and the memories we share with them, but that blinds us to the lack of substance and benefit that person actually has for us. We’ve let the damage they’ve caused become a part of our narrative for so long that we failed to realize it didn’t have to be. Things with no foundation cannot withstand a storm, cannot survive under pressure and they are neither safe nor reliable.
We all have weeds in our lives, some of us in our yards, and some of us in our inner circles, and if we’re being honest, some weeds occupy both places in our lives. Be mindful of the company you keep and the image you wish to portray. Do not willingly allow weeds in your life to destroy your character and your reputation. Recognize and understand the damage that keeping and nurturing weeds can foster. And also, don’t be fooled by history or surplus when there’s no substance. We need to take better care of ourselves and protect ourselves when it comes to who we choose to let in our lives. Use your discernment as your weed wacker and get rid of the things trying to take over.
