I have been spending quite a bit of time outside lately working in the yard. The weather is nice and I just don't want to be inside, despite all that needs to get done there, too. But, that's for another day.
One of the things I've been spending the most time on is weeding. Ever notice that it's never done? I can get a flower bed all weeded and looking great and then just a few days later, those pesky things are back! I got to thinking about how weeds are like bad habits and thoughts. Some of my flower beds are very simple and if there is a weed, it is easy to spot and grab. The flower beds around the pool have a ground cover vine that I want and some other flowers, but I don't want to clover and grass. These flower beds are much more tedious to weed. Sometimes I feel I need tweezers. The grass and clover grow amongst the vine so I have to be very careful. I can't just whack at them with a big hoe or my 3-prong claw, cause I'll lose some vine as well.
I have all sorts of bad habits and less than desirable thought that pop up in my head at any given time. Some of them are pretty obvious and easy to catch and only a minor nuisance. Others are like that insidious grass that has deep roots and sends runners everywhere. Even when it looks like I got it all, it creeps back sooner than I'd like. Just like some of my thoughts. I think I've weeded it out, replaced it with truth (the negative tapes that play in my head about never being good enough are lies after all. They just happen to be believable lies and paralyzing at times.), and then something happens and it starts playing all over again. So I have to get the gloves out again and start weeding all over again.
Fortunately, when you look at some of the flower beds from a distance, they look great. It's only when you get up close that you notice the weeds. I pray that I can look good and be a positive influence on those around be despite some of the weeds in my life. Meanwhile I'll just keep weeding away as best I can.
