A Garden Metaphor

At work on Monday I spent the day killing. I looked like a Dan Akroyd from the Ghostbusters outfitted with a big plastic backpack some gloves and a hose. But instead of fighting ghosts I was battling weeds.

The battle is going to rage on because my garden, that was severely ravaged by a rabbit, is now full of weeds. I didn't take the precautions to guard the plants and now I'm paying for it. I didn't till the soil so now weeds have taken over. What is even more troubling is that I have a hard time distinguishing between the weeds and the plants in my garden. (Which doesn't bode well for my work!) My plants that survived are difficult to tell apart from the weeds because they are so small and undefined.

So right now I have a weed garden (in the non-drug sense). They are so easy to grow because you have to do absolutely nothing. The weeds sprout and flourish without me even touching them. They are so easy to maintain because they grow on their own. But they are completely useless and worthless and vicious.

The good things, the plants, that are so life giving require effort, time and care. I know you have been waiting for it, of course there is a spiritual metaphor here I'm going to draw out.

The things that are detrimental (sin) seem to sprout up when we are lethargic and forgetful. It seems to me, the things worth having in life (friends, joy, love, goodness, peace, fulfillment) require effort, time, and care.