Why you should be more weedy

Major Tim Johnson considers the lilies

IT’S one of my jobs at home to do most of the gardening. It has to be said that – despite fine examples from my dad and grandad – I’m not a great gardener. The plants that typically do best in my garden are weeds.

Time and again, I expend energy getting rid of them, yet these horticultural adversaries pop up the moment I turn my back. I’ve spent long hours grubbing up these gardening foes, and they have earned a grudging respect from me. Why are they so resilient and so successful in their field?

I also recently learnt more about the words behind the translation of Matthew 6:28: ‘Consider the lilies of the field’ (King James Version). The Greek verb has the sense of ‘to examine closely’ – in other words, take a microscope to it, analyse what’s going on. What are these weeds doing right? And what can we do to imitate them, so that we can be as steadfast as they are?

Here are some thoughts that occurred as I was weeding.

DEEPLY AND WIDELY ROOTED
One pet hate I have inherited from my father, gardening-wise, is about bindweed. It’s a pest, both above and below ground, and a horror to get rid of. The roots are an easy-to-see white when you dig them up, but to be rid of it requires you to remove every trace of root from the soil. Bindweed also loves to lurk near tree roots and under fences – the ‘difficult-to-dig’ areas. The smallest overlooked fragment will grow and spread. It has roots that sustain it through the most difficult and destructive of times.

This summer’s project was to clear the border at the front of the house, which involved removing lots of ornamental holly, a plant with an extensive root system. After several marathon sessions of digging and pursuing roots, I finally gave up on one root that was as deep as the house foundations and was still heading downwards. Deeply rooted indeed!

It’s no surprise that Paul uses the metaphor of being deeply rooted in love (Ephesians 3:17) when he prays for the growth of his fellow Christians. With deep roots – the ability to draw strength from God through prayer and the Bible – even the ‘weediest’ of us can face the most testing of times.

STAY CLOSE TO THE EARTH
This is another survival technique that allows weeds to thrive. Hugging the earth and spreading sideways, rather than upwards, allows harmful things to go past without causing injury.

I get into a lot of trouble with my family for mowing the lawn and taking out the daisies and buttercups. The reality is, I don’t do a lot of damage; I just nick off the open flowers. The reason there isn’t much damage is that most of the plant is flat on the ground. A plant that stays close to the earth could quite easily be called humble. (The root word means ‘earthed’).

So here’s weed lesson number two: don’t be in a hurry to grow up and be vulnerable. Go low, grow wide and stay close to God. Read Peter’s advice to the Church: ‘Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time’ (1 Peter 5:6 New International Version).

DYING TO BECOME FRUITFUL
I mentioned this Bible study in a corps home group and someone immediately said: ‘There’s the dandelion, you know; it has a beautiful flower, yet unless it dies, the seed will not grow.’ This thought echoes the words of Jesus in John 12:24.

There are times when the sweet things of life have to be put aside so that better things can happen, when we need to make a sacrifice of personal desires to allow the gospel to thrive. For example, time usually spent on hobbies invested for the Kingdom to help an event take place; when what might be family time is used to build a relationship with someone seeking Christ – the flower put aside for the seed.

A WEED AGLOW WITH GOD
A visiting preacher once made a comment on Exodus chapter 3 and the burning bush. His words were akin to: ‘The Hebrew is “Ceneh” but “bush” is really too much. “Ceneh” means weed.’

So God used a weed to accomplish his purpose and save a nation – a weed aglow with the very presence of God became a pathway to service for Moses, a holy place of commitment and decision.

The strength, the glory, were all God’s; the weed was just the vessel for his work.

It really doesn’t matter how weedy we think we are. If we are rooted in God’s love, stay humble and close to him, if we are willing to obey and be open to his will, God’s purpose will be accomplished.

• Major Johnson is the corps officer at Hemel Hempstead
(Salvationist UK Issue Date: October 2010)