Hot Rocks has used the term "stuck in the weeds" a number of times when describing different situations. I looked it up on the internet for a decisive definition. The term "stuck in the weeds" means: "A colloquial expression used when persons are near or beyond their capacity to handle a situation or cannot catch up. Struggling. Very busy."
It is an accurate term to describe how things have been here on the ole' micro-ranch. It truly has been a whirlwind of projects since mid-February. The weather was still in it's weird funky stage of off and on rain storms and our house started to have the arrival of what would later take over our lives....the animals. What started out to be simple do-able ideas turned into monster-size projects. We just kept swimming, sometimes drowning in to-do's around here. As soon as we thought we had a handle on things some other emergency happened. Not to mention, we were just trying to lead somewhat normal routines for our lives but really who defines "normal" anyways?
I am off on a rabbit trail of sorts here so let me refocus. Thinking....thinking....thinking....o.k. I got it. This morning we finished our animal chores earlier than usual and the temperature outside was still crisp. We had watered our garden area the night before so it was a good time to pull weeds. We were behind somewhat on that chore so I called the kids over and told them to grab a bucket and start picking a few buckets worth. The normal sighs arrived promptly but they did fill their quota of three stuffed buckets ~ all of which went to the animals for delectable morning treats.
We have been so busy taking care of the animals that our garden had been severely neglected. We had watered it and God was making the sun shine on it but weeds had infiltrated it. The weeds were taller than our plants in some areas.
You can barely see the rows that the corn are in because of the weeds.
I forgot to take a picture of Hot Rocks garden before we had started but it was COVERED - there wasn't any brown soil to be seen. My normal M.O. (mode of operation) is to take these quiet times to reflect. It isn't something I consciously do but rather something that I automatically do. We normally do not have great and lofty conversations when we are working. It is pretty quiet. We just go about our business; getting done what we need to do.
I started to think about why this garden was so overrun with weeds. We had neglected it. We did the very absolute basic thing for it ~ we watered it, but we didn't care for it. Things had just gotten so busy with bigger projects that they had taken over everything.
I had watched the plants growing from afar. They were green, that was a good thing, that meant they were still alive but I couldn't do anything about the surmounting weeds.
It is easy for me to learn from Jesus because He uses everyday things to speak to me. He was teaching me a big lesson this morning. Our plants were growing and they were producing fruit but you couldn't see what fruit they were producing because the weeds were hiding it.
Lesson 1: As a Christian, I can still produce fruit, though it may be small, but it will be overshawdowed and overlooked because of all of the "weeds" (sin) in my life if I do not take care of them and pluck them out.
The amount of weeds that we picked were three overflowing wheelbarrow full.
Lesson 2: The busyness of life can consume so much of my time that all of a sudden I am doing disaster clean-up on a basic foundational necessity for my life. Meaning, to pull a small weed is preventative action, to pull a big weed is preservation action. (I need to protect/save my plant from the invasive weed so that it will LIVE!) To spend my quiet devotional time and daily pull the small weeds BEFORE they become life-threatening spiritually.
Pulling weeds takes time. Not a huge amount of time if you stay on top of it, but time none the less. I don't know what it is about this day and age, but busyness is an all-consuming killer. The amount of things that supposedly "need" to be done or the thoughts that are planted in our mind that such and such has to be done because it shows that we are somehow a better person is just a bunch of baloney.
I am only the person that Christ wants me to be when I am abiding in Him. I am only the person that Christ wants me to be when absolutely NOTHING in this world takes priority over what He wants me to do, not what I think I need to be doing. I am only the person that Christ wants me to be when I take the time to pull the weeds in my life and boy howdy, it doesn't take much for a weed to grow in my life.
A total side note...Did you know that a weed can grow in only 1 tsp. of soil? Now that is a reality shock to a person's life....it doesn't take much for a weed to grow in a persons life.
Well, part of Hot Rocks garden was cleaned up. You can see the rows. You can see the plants that we planted.
We still need to get in the corn area and do some deep cleaning. So if you will excuse me now, I have some weeding to do....
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