I’ve always loved plants, and have been a semi-serious gardener for the past 10-12 years. Though still a beginner in many ways, I am well acquainted with weeds.
I’ve been a Christian for most of my life, but have been serious about my pursuit of Christ-likeness for the past 20 years or so. Though I still have far to go, I’m well acquainted with sin.
These two pursuits have made me realize how similar sin and weeds are, and as I garden, I’m tangibly reminded of the battle against both.
It has been said that a weed is just a plant in the place you don’t want it, but as a gardener, you know this isn’t true. Weeds not only ruin the aesthetic, but worse, they sap the vitality and rob the nutrients from the plants you are cultivating.
Sin is the same, it enters into our lives and prevents us from bearing the fruit that God desires – love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control*.
Here are 5 lessons I’ve learned about sin from digging weeds out of my garden:
- Don’t be deceived by looks. Some weeds are attractive, but eventually they spread until they choke out other plants. Sin is the same. We may do good things (like serving others) from a sinful motive, but eventually the underlying issue will spread and negate the good.
- Know your enemy. Each weed requires a slightly different technique for removal. A dandelion has a long taproot that needs to be dug out, while creeping buttercup (my nemesis) spreads with stems that root at the nodes. Sins also must be battled in different ways. Sins of omission (things we should do but haven’t) are fought best by proactive practices such as giving or acts of service, while sins of commission (things we shouldn’t do) are best fought with practices like fasting.
- Prepare for battle. Weeds have developed extremely robust root systems that allow them to spread rapidly and stay alive. Though the removal techniques are unique, weeds all require ongoing, dedicated effort to keep them out of your garden; not just removing the visible portion, but digging deep down and removing all traces. Sin also requires that we put in dedicated effort to remove it. Not just the effect, but the root, which is often deep inside us and requires time and effort.
- There is no stasis. Your garden is never static, you are either actively making it a healthy place for plants to flourish, or weeds are spreading. So too in life, we are either battle sin or it grows in us. We are either been conformed into the patterns of this world, or transformed by the renewing of our mind**.
- Prevention pays off. For years I know that I should add a layer of mulch to my garden. It not only helps with water retention, but also greatly reduces weed growth. And if weeds do pop up, removing them is easy, as they struggle to grow quickly or deeply. Though we will always battle with sin here on earth, there are key practices that help; prayer, bible reading, fasting, service, and community all make it harder for sin to grow in our lives.
In all of this battling, both weeds and sin, I am ultimately reminded that my hope isn’t in a perfect garden or sinless life on this side of heaven. Yet I continue to fight, as a cultivated garden and a life with less sin both point to the goodness of our God and give a foretaste of what life in God’s kingdom will be like.
* Galatians 5:22
** Romans 12:2