Henbit, Thistle, & Peppervine

Jonah 2:5

King James Version (KJV)

The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

Weeds -the scourge of the earth: for these I am thankful.


My house has a small yard. I'd say it's slightly larger than a postage stamp. That didn't deter me from making a large flowerbed in the backyard filled with perennials and shrubs. The problem is that our backyard backs up to fifteen acres that are a little bit park and a lot of unkempt wooded areas. Can you guess what the wooded areas are full of? Weeds. Lots and lots of invasive weeds. More weeds than you ever imagine. They creep under the fence to say hello. The birds bring their seeds in droves and happily plant them in my flowerbeds. I spend practically every weekend plucking and pulling and even sometimes spraying them into submission. 


I am thankful for those weeds though. Having weeds means I have some green space to feel the grass under my feet. I have a yard for the birds and squirrels to visit. There are trees and shrubs for them to build nests and have sweet chirpy little babies. Weeding teaches me patience and perseverance. You have to be vigilant against them or they will take over. Weeding also teaches me to do the job right the first time. If you want the weed to die, you can't just pluck it's foliage - you have to get the root too, or it will return again and again, laughing each time. 


Why else am I thankful for my weeds? Each week I get quiet time in my yard. Time to actually hear my thoughts, and to listen for God. Time to slow things down and breathe in fresh air. Weeding gets me down to the dirt and up close to my plants. I sometimes notice things I otherwise would not have seen like baby anole lizards scampering up a twiggy shrub branch, or a birds nest tucked deep into that same shrub. Everything has a purpose, and some things, like weeds just need to be looked at from a different view. 


~This Glorious Day~