Blooming Where I am Planted

A few weeks ago at our Friday morning Bible Study, I shared that Christians are like plants because we need watering (prayer), the sun (Bible Study), and weeding (the Holy Spirit).  It was a little bit deeper than that, but that's the basis of it.  Anyway, today I was outside watering my flowers and pulling the weeds and I thought about that lesson.  As I pulled what was obviously grass out of the flower bed, I could not determine if some things in my garden were plants or weeds (that tells you a little about my gardening expertise!).  I even thought once, "well, if that's a weed at least it's pretty!"  God totally convicted my heart at that moment about my life.  Sometimes I let sin creep in my life and when I haven't been in the Word consistently and stayed close to Him like I should, I let weeds (sin) come in and stay if they "look okay" or are "not so bad".   Eventually, the weeds (sin) take over and the beauty that God wants me to exhibit gets covered up by the sin.  I may not even see the needs of others or ways to help others or take opportunities to share about the Lord because I have so many weeds blocking my view. I don't have time for intimacy with my Lord because the weeds are consuming so much of my time and energy.  I have got to get rid of the weeds as soon as they begin to grow.  I have to stay in the Word so I will know what the weeds are and I won't be confused by the sin the world throws into my garden.  I need to be fertilized by more and more of the Word and fellowship with other believers and prayer.  I want to be the beautiful bloom that God created me to be.  Like I said, He's still working on me!