Lessons From the Garden - Part 1: Weeds and Good Soil

Lessons from the garden:

            Melissa and I are avid gardeners.  Part of our motive for gardening is that we really enjoy working together in the garden, and part of our motive is the fact that a large garden can yield thousands of dollars in produce in a normal year.  Over the years, I have come to see many illustrations of the spiritual life in my work in the garden, and have often discussed them with my wife and others.  While it is certain that others have already written similar ideas (and likely better stated), I will share these insights here as well.

The Lesson of Weeds and Good Soil:

            When you garden, you must deal with the issue of weeds.  Everywhere you turn, your garden will be overtaken by weeds unless you intentionally do something about those weeds. Quack-grass and other grasses seem to grow better in our garden than in the rest of the yard, and indeed, every form of weed, including alfalfa grows better in our garden than outside of it.  This brings me to the first spiritual parallel. 

         Consider the “Parable of the Sower”, as we call it, which could be better called “The Parable of the Soils.”  Each soil represents a heart condition.  Nothing grew in the first soil, being a road of hard-packed dirt.  Though plants sprouted quickly in the second soil, there was no depth in the soil, as bedrock underneath the topsoil did not allow for deep roots.  When plants became too large for the small roots to nourish them, the plant withered and died in the scorching sun.  The third soil seemed to be rich and good, but thorns (and who knows what else could be with the thorns) grew there, chocking out the fruit.  The final soil was good soil, free of “weeds”, if you will, and it yielded wonderful fruit.  However, it would seem that both of the last two scenarios actually had good soil in the strict sense.  However, only one produced fruit.

          So what lesson am I driving at?  Is it that we need to get rid of “weeds” (or thorns and briars, etc.)?  No, it’s not, though we must.  The first lesson is this.  Weeds and crops both like good soil.  Both will grow in it better than in other soil.  God’s word and Satan’s counterfeits will both take root in softened, open, and receptive hearts.  This is a startling thought, but consider the lessons of history.  How often are Christians led astray into captivating sins and destructive teachings.  How many times do New Testament writers, as well as prophets, psalmists, and Moses, instruct us to be diligent to remember the words spoken beforehand by the Lord and to keep His commandments (Deut. 4, 5, 6 etc., Malachi 4, II Peter, Jude, Timothy, Titus, Galatians, etc.)?  Why these commands?  While Satan knows that he cannot truly touch believers born of God (I John 5), He knows that he can choke out the fruit of our lives if we allow so many other things (“weeds”) to crowd out the good plants of the garden.

            Just as weeds love good soil that has been worked and prepared, bad ideas and sinful patterns like a heart that has been worked up, softened, prepared, and made receptive.  If we lack discernment, we are in danger of collecting many spiritual “weeds”, or “thorns” that will choke out the good fruit that God desires to bring in our lives.