Flowers and Weeds

            My friend Lisa and I walked over to a patch of wild flowers. Small yellow flowers grew freely among the Bluebonnets, Foxgloves and Parrot Lilies. “I can’t believe how beautiful they are. Look at these little yellow ones.”

            “Those are weeds,” Lisa said.

            “They look like flowers.”

            “I know. But they’re weeds.”

             Later, I sat on a large rock amid a mass of vibrant blooms. I pondered why some of them were flowers while others were simply weeds.

            I guess it isn’t the way they look, but the way they act.

            Flowers share. You find them growing side-by-side and in lovely batches of color. The dictionary says they are cultivated, I guess that means they have culture, or manners. But weeds don’t. They just take over. Like untrained preschoolers they don’t seem to grasp the concept of community. In fact, if left alone weeds will actually choke out the beauty growing around them until they alone dominate an entire area.

             In life, some people are like flowers. They bring beauty and color to every place where they show up. Others folks are like weeds, sucking the life out of us and refusing to let us flourish. Beware of people who act like weeds, by resisting the transforming work of God’s Word and refuseing to let truth reside in any of their relationships.

            Connection with these types of people does not challenge us to grow and to become more like Jesus, like weeds they choke His life out of us. If you find that being around a certain person brings you down and takes your heart far away from God, limit your time with that person. Concentrate on relationships that bring you life, that nurture your walk with Jesus, and that result in added beauty to the world.            

Posted on April 11, 2012 in Reflections on Life