To weed, or Weed and Feed…

Spring is in the air, at least here at my home of Baton Rouge.  (Along with the abominable yellow dust of misery, but that’s for another post on another day!)  The weather, the greenery, and the birds all serve to remind us that life continues to emerge and change.  Closets are cleaned out.  Cars are washed.  Living rooms and offices are rearranged.  And weeds are attacked!

What is your favorite method of reclaiming your lawn from these hearty, but unwelcome, guests?

There is the classic: “Just pretend I don’t notice them and mow them down periodically just like the rest of the green stuff in the yard” approach.  It won’t win you the neighborhood lawn of the month award, but it works for many.

There is the much-envied: “I’ve got plenty of dough to hire someone else to come face these little chloroplastic tyrants for me” approach.  Keeps the feet happy, the neighbors content, and the hands clean.

One of our family favorites is the: “Let ’em grow til you can’t take it anymore, then go out and break your back for two days, momentarily inspiring admiration and hope in your onlooking neighbors” method.  (I sure do seem concerned about my onlooking neighbors!  God, free me from that bondage.)  When the back heals up, this one offers some real satisfaction for a week or two.  And then, overnight it seems, through some sort of mystic underground fornication, the weedy offspring arise with more hunger and determination than their forebears.

Inspired by my success last year in the back yard, this year I am hitting both front and back yard with the environmental excuse-me of: “Napalm the area with a shower of multicolored chemical granules guaranteed to feed the grass and strangle the weeds.” The environmental custodian in me takes a beating, but my yard looks dandy, neither my bank account nor my back take too much of a beating, and once again – happy neighbors.

And for those rare few: “Get out in the yard a couple times a week to carefully, persistently pull out the weeds by hand.” Someday…

No, my website isn’t turning into a horticultural academy, although this isn’t the first time the subject of weeding has inspired me to look at life more carefully.  What God has been calling me to consider lately is how I approach the challenge of overcoming bad habits, sins, shortcomings, relational obstacles, and character defects in my life and in the lives of the clients who ask me to help them face the weed-infested landscapes of their own lives.

Am I looking for a quick fix?  Do I take time to grasp the roots of my problems, or just clean them up a bit and move on?  How willing am I to roll up my sleeves and put effort into overcoming my besetting struggles?  Can I fully enjoy my life, even though I still have ongoing problems and tendencies toward sin?  Who do I expect to take responsibility for my stuff?  Would I prefer a chemical solution?  What’s the deal with me thinking so much about how much the neighbors are (probably not) focusing on me?  Do I thank God for the green grass and my available tools – or curse Him for the weeds?  Why do one-time solutions appeal to me so much more than persistent, steadfast husbandry?

Thanks for taking time to consider life and struggles with me for a bit.  I gotta run.  It’s time to go share weeding stories with some good friends of mine…