Sprouts

The sugar snaps are up! There are little green sprouts in my garden! In fact, there are a lot of little green sprouts in my garden. And not all them are the same. Some of these little sprouts must not be from the seeds I planted. Which are sugar snaps and which are weeds? Which are the plants I want to grow?

I have a friend who is excellent at weeding, who has offered to help. Perhaps I should ask her. Maybe she can distinguish between the wanted and unwanted sprouts.

The garden itself provides some clues. I planted my seeds in rows. Similar looking sprouts all in a row are probably sugar snaps; the outliers are probably weeds. Over time, I’ve gotten better at distinguishing between the different green sprigs (practice makes perfect!), but I still have to examine them to tell.

Probably the best first step is to learn what young sugar snaps, as well as young clover and crabgrass, look like. That would make distinguishing between them easier. Ask google; read a book; talk to people who know. Perhaps I should do the same when I am having trouble distinguishing what is growing in my life. Ask God; read the Bible; talk to a minister.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. I John 4:1

Do I even pay that much attention to what is growing in my life? It is tempting sometimes to plant the seeds and walk away. It would be easier to assume that any idea that came to me while reading the Bible came from God; that all my motivations were pure; and that no weeds had invaded my garden. But if I examine them, I know that not every voice I hear is the Holy Spirit’s; that sometimes I have an agenda and a bias; and that not all those sprouts are sugar snaps. I need to be careful.

Of course, I wouldn’t be struggling with crabgrass and clover if I hadn’t started a garden at all. They would still be there, of course, having their way in my yard; I just wouldn’t be concerned about them. Isn’t this the way of life?

In God Calling, the authors write: “Remember too, it is only struggle that hurts. In sloth, spiritual, or mental, or physical, there is no sense of failure; but with action, with effort, you are conscious not of strength but of weakness – at least at first.” (March 3)

When you walk that first mile, when you pull everything out of that first closet, when you deny yourself that first dessert – it’s hard. It seems to get worse before it gets better. You feel overwhelmed by the enormity of what you have started. There may be physical pain involved. I look at all those green sprouts in my garden and wonder if I have lost my mind.

But I will not let this inertia, my ignorance, or those weeds win. Because, as concerned as I could be about those sprouts which aren’t sugar snaps, the amazing and wonderful thing is that some of the sprouts are sugar snaps. God is growing something in my garden. It is their presence which makes me aware of the presence of the unwanted stuff. It is the desire for the sugar snaps to grow and thrive and bear fruit which motivates me to pull up the crabgrass and clover.

And we all have a friend who is excellent at weeding, who has offered to help. Perhaps I should ask Him. I know that He can distinguish between the wanted and unwanted sprouts.

But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything. John 14:26

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Betsy

How much more will your father in Heaven give His Spirit to His children. Luke 11:13