Got Weeds?

There are several good reasons my yard needs to be mowed, but hasn't been:

1. The riding lawn mower is broken.
2. We can't afford to buy a new one and our old one is not worth fixing.
3. My sons, my resident "lawn men" all moved out.
4. When looking at the myriad of chores that need to done, mowing the yard, the big yard, with a push mower, never seems to move to the top of the list. (Gee- I wonder why?)

As a result, there are quite a few interesting plants growing in my front yard right now.  You have to understand, we have a BIG yard (hence, the need of the riding lawn mower).  It is really more of a field than a yard.  And while I don't have any anticipation of it looking like a golf course, but I do want it to look neat.

There have been these big green weeds growing all over the field, getting bigger by the day, and I think they look terrible from my vantage point of the living room window.  They look like gangly, and ugly, and out-of-control.....and well....like weeds!

And I am not over-fond of weeds.

My general standpoint on the weed matter is they need to go.  Not picky on the methodology.  They just need to go.  Mowing them out of sight is perfectly acceptable.

Today, though, God taught me something through those weeds.

I was walking through the field- just a sort of "mental health" walk.  A few minutes in the wind and sun to clear the cobwebs and produce some vitamin D.  As I got closer to the weeds I noticed something.  They are about to burst  forth in bloom.  Lots and lots of blooms.  They are the native Texas wildflower "Mexican Hat", which is actually one of my favorite flowers. I just think they are so cool looking. 

And they are growing everywhere.  In my field.  In my un-mown field.

But if our mower had been working....

If everything was groomed and orderly....

If things were as "they are supposed to be"...

I would miss out on all the little "hats" that are just waiting to burst forth in glorious yellows and reds.

And as I walked around the field, and found the first anxious little flower that had bloomed, I wondered.  

I wondered how many times I looked at the "weeds" in my life, from my limited vantage point, and wished for them to go away.  OR maybe even MADE them go away, and the whole time I never got to see the beauty they could have produced.

If everything in my life was according to the "plan", if it all lined up with the "vision", if things were ever "normal"....

To borrow a phrase from Anne Shirley, "Oh, how much I would miss."

Isn't it just like God to hide beauty in a weed.

To hide a king in a shepherd.

To hide a prophet in the wilderness.

To hide Eternal Life in a manger.

So why do I doubt?  Why do I look at my life weeds and not see them knowing they will produce something good?  Why am I not hoping and believing in the flower that is sure to come?

It is like the story of the little boy- the optimist.  When rushing into the barn and seeing a bunch of manure he gets so happy and excited.  His friend, confused at his joy asked him how so much manure could make him happy?.  "Well", the young hoper and believer states, "If there is this much manure, there has to be a pony in here somewhere!"

So here is to my weeds. (I like talking about the flower analogy better than the manure one.)  To the weeds in my yard and the weeds in my life- let me just say, "Welcome."

And welcome to the beauty and the flowers and color and the life that is to come. 

Almost ready to bloom.

My first "hat".

More flower lessons seen on the way back into the house:

Honeysuckle: blooms for VERY short time, but makes
the most of it by filling the air around it with amazing aroma.

Iris: can only bloom if it is cold enough and harsh enough
in the winter.

Cactus Flower:

It is a beautiful flower amidst the thorns.