Flowers and Weeds

     One of the earliest lessons God taught me in the garden was that you can’t always tell the weeds from the flowers. As I was weeding the ivy plant, I pulled out one weed by the root and then noticed it was different from the other weeds. It was actually a baby ivy shoot! The weeds were actually mimicking the baby ivy leaves! Well, that is a clever way for the weeds to insure the survival of their species! But it also taught me that we are called to live a spiritual life in a world populated with enemies as well as friends. You see, I consider each of my plants to be my friends, since most of them were given to me by caring friends. And I tend them as carefully as I tend my friendships.

    I can’t pull these weeds if doing so is going to harm my friendship plants! So I have to let them grow up together, side by side. When they grow bigger, I can pull them without endangering the ivy. I am reminded of Matthew 13:24-30, the parable of the sower. He planted wheat but an enemy sowed weeds in his field. The farmer would have uprooted the wheat if he tried to cut out the weeds. He had to wait until harvest time to separate them. The parable is about the kingdom of God but it implies that we live spiritual lives in a secular world. We do not always discern the enemies from our friends. Indeed some of our enemies will intentionally pose as our friends to get close to us to do us harm! We treat all people as if they are friends until they do something to show themselves as an enemy.I am reminded of parents and their children. We have an obligation to instill positive values in our offspring to prepare them for a lifetime during which they will experience many different situations,and we hope they will make good choices. Knowing there are enemies that they will encounter, we teach them our values by talking and by setting examples. We pray that the Holy Spirit protects them when they are in school, away from us.  And we continue that prayer throughout our lives! And today I say a prayer of thanksgiving that my prayers for my daughter – and my son-in-law – have been answered! They are protected by the Holy Spirit and they are prospering!

First, a photo of my happy, prosperous kids.

Next, a photo of my happy, prosperous ivy vines.

Third is a picture of the first bloom of the season
on my Wendy’s Wish Salvia.

Then a picture of a double knockout rose from my new bush.
You can see an early morning dewdrop on it.

Lastly, there’s a picture of our new yellow Gerber daisy. 

It is very happy in its new home, having 

put out three more daisies in a month.