And then, something amazing happens.

I mow my lawn.

The picture below is the same lawn, same day, same camera.

I’m amazed at how good it looks.¬† For a few days, my neighbors will drive by and give me the “nice lawn” thumbs up.¬† I’ll pull into the driveway tomorrow, and admire it for a few seconds.

But as I’m putting the lawnmower away without cleaning it, this thought occurs to me.¬† It’s a simple thought, and probably not altogether profound or mind-shattering.¬† It occurs to me that…

The weeds are still there.

I can no longer see the weeds.¬† Or the unwanted Bermuda.¬† Or the Crabgrass, the Nutgrass, or the Chickweed.¬† But it’s all still there.¬† Give it four or five days, and I’ll see it again.

And then, it occurs to me that my life is a lot like my lawn.

I can mask the unwanted stuff in my life for a few days.¬† The Bible calls it sin.¬† I call it crap.¬† It’s the stuff I’ve learned to hide from others – the stuff that clearly keeps me from living out the best life God has for me.

My weeds are my addictions.  They are my fears.  They are my attempts at making people think highly of me.  They are my lies.

And here’s the truth about them.¬† Just like my lawn, I can make them disappear.¬† For a while.¬† But they come back.¬† They always come back.¬† The question is whether or not I’ll allow them to grow to maturity again, or yank them out by their root.

“When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.¬† For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members…”

Romans 7:21-23

Wouldn’t it be horrible if that verse ended there?¬† Thank God it doesn’t.¬† Because the best part, regardless if I allow the weeds to grow strong again in me, is this…

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God‚Äîthrough Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Romans 7:24

Yes.  I rejoice with Paul.  When the weeds grow tall in my life, I rejoice with Paul that God, in Christ, has become the Master Gardener, and is creating a thing of beauty.

Even in my life.