Weeding through the harvest

Today as I was pulling weeds in our flower beds I couldn’t help but think of how important it is to keep weeding. Three weeks ago I took over the care of all of these flowers that have been lovingly planted and tended by the previous owners but that doesn’t mean that I can sit back and relax. If I did nothing, by the end of summer the perennials would be overcome with weeds.

Our family has entered into a new place and a new season, one in which we are harvesting many things that we didn’t sow. Our pastor was preaching yesterday and said that as a church, even in this harvest season, that we need to remember to put our hand to the plow, till the ground, and not look back (Luke 9:62).

I was thinking about that as I pulled weeds this morning, about how I can bring all of the lessons and wisdom I’ve learned from the past season into what we’re doing now, but I can’t expect it to look the same.

I could settle for the beauty that already exists in this place, these flower beds are already pretty amazing, but I’m not ready to settle. I’m itching to get my hands dirty and continue to plant and prune because that’s what I was made to do.

If I walk into this new season just reaping the benefits but not continuing to work hard the weeds will overtake my life and I will dry up. I will squander all that God has brought me here to do.

Instead I must stay in the fertile flow of the Kingdom so I can see my new surroundings with His eyes and not my own.