Pulling Weeds

The leaves are starting to change and the weather is getting cooler, meaning that my beloved summer is coming to an end. One of my favorite parts about summer in the Midwest is the amount of time I get to spend in nature, admiring the beauty that is around me. As I was tending to my garden this morning, trying to harvest the last of my plants, I kept thinking about something I recently saw on Instagram. It was a post about things that people have said that were so profound that they inspired change in someone's life. The exchange happened with a gardener who was asked how do they get their plants to grow so beautifully. The gardener's response was that he doesn’t force the plants to grow, he just removes what would stop their growth. When I was working in my garden I kept reflecting on how true this statement is. Not only are weeds unpleasant to look at, but they cause damage to the plants surrounding them. The weeds draw nutrients and water away from the plant, ultimately stunting or preventing their growth altogether.

When I think about the words that have spurred the most growth in my walk of faith and have deepened my relationship with Christ, I think of John 10:10, “the thief comes to kill and destroy but I have come to give life and to give it abundantly” (CSB). Jesus is telling us here that the devil is constantly working against us, promising us life in the things that are not really from the Lord while Jesus has come to give us true life. He draws us closer to Him and towards a life of fullness and away from one of scarcity. I have been a Christ follower for most of my life but when I came upon this verse I questioned what does abundant really mean? According to Meriam-Webster abundance refers to having a large quantity of something or having wealth. In this world it is easy to look at that definition and think that we must pursue the things that the world tells us will make us important. However, when it comes to living from the abundance that God provides, I believe that abundance comes in the form of the fruit of the spirit; an abundance of “love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22). So how do we as followers of Christ seek this abundance in our fallen world? How do we remove what is not for us so we can be closer to Christ’s call for our life?

In order to pursue the abundant life, one of the most helpful things for me has been to look at what are the things I currently have in my life that are not pushing me towards the Lord. Just like the weeds in my garden there are things in life that draw us away from the abundant life God provides for us. Some of these things may look like:

● Worrying about what others think of us

● Saying yes to another commitment when we actually don’t have the capacity for it

● Spending too much time on social media

● Not taking time to rest when we are called to it

The list can go on and on. There are so many things that pull us away from what the Lord has blessed us with. The Bible tells us “guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Just like pulling the weeds in my garden, I have to tend to my life and remove those things that distract me from where the Lord is calling me. The frustrating but beautiful thing about gardening is that the weeds come back, so we must continuously tend to the plants, just as we must continuously tend to our relationship with the Lord and to ourselves,and continue to create the best environment for our growth. Hopefully, I end this with this encouragement for you to look at your life and see where there are weeds that need to be pulled? What is it that you can remove to create more space for what the Lord wants for you?

---

Meet Our Guest Writer Natalie Hochkins!

Natalie holds a master’s degree in social work and is a certified life coach through Go and Tell Gals. She is currently teaching and writes in hopes to be an encouragement to our sisters in Christ. It is her mission to help women slow down and step into the abundance that Christ has purchased for all of us. In her spare time you can find Natalie reading, trying to entertain her german shepherd, or admiring the sky. You can follow along with her on Instagram @nataliemhochkins.