I have a problem in my gardening life. I can’t bear to dig up a “volunteer” (A plant who grows from a seed or sucker). I will allow it to grow, put down deep roots and become a real nuisance. The parent plant stops growing well and it is difficult if not impossible to get rid of the “volunteer”. But it hurts my heart to destroy that new plant.

The other gardening “sin”  I deal with is cutting shrubbery. Now that can really get out of hand. In one season, a Nellie Stevens holly can grow 12 inches or more. I know because it happens at my house. If I don’t get to trim shrubs in the fall, by late spring or summer the next year, I’m looking at trees and not shrubs. I love to see them reach for the sky and their natural form develop. But that’s not why I’ve planted them. They are supposed to accent our home…not grow higher than the roof.

Which brings me again to being disciplined in our spiritual life. Being constant and steadfast. Not ignoring the tending, watering, weeding and trimming that needs to be happening on a consistent basis.

When sin begins in our lives, it generally begins in a small way. We leave off prayer time, “Just this once.”  Bible reading gets pushed aside because of the “urgent business” that comes up unexpectedly. We don’t go to worship at church. We stay home and watch online and tell ourselves it’s just as good. (The flip side of that is that those that are physically unable to go to church can still be a part of it as much as possible.)

It is always easiest to pull a seedling up as soon as we see it. If it is allowed to grow, removing it becomes extremely difficult. Keeping our shrubs, bushes, even our trees trimmed up and healthy on a regular basis is much easier than letting things go until it is such a mess we can’t face the hard work necessary to make things lovely again.

Doing the necessary work…doing it well…and on a regular basis makes the garden beautiful. Tending the garden is easier. So it is with our spiritual life. Keep it tended. Keep our accounts with Abba and others short.  

Fall clean-up is here. I’m looking at things I did well…other things I allowed to get out of hand. I want to take care of what is most important. These work days always seem to bring the lessons I need. 

Guess I’m gonna be doing inventory in my heart. I’m certain there are “overgrown patches” that need tending. I don’t want anything growing in my heart that would dishonor Him.