Pretty flowers and Strong Roots

Flower season is upon us.  I am new to the world of planting and cultivating.  But the color of a blooming flower pot really does encapsulate beauty in the brokenness.  At least in my yard. Because the overflowing planter serves as a momentary respit from the overgrown weeds that I have yet to conquer.  

A spring garden is a rich analogy for me.  Many people put a lot of effort into their landscapes every year.  Picking flowers, filling pots, purchasing, watering, weeding, and enjoying.  The effort is worth it for a few months of color, especially in the Midwest. But many of the flowers we fill our porches and window boxes with are annuals.  They are planted, they bloom, they provide a season of beauty, and then they die. They do not hibernate and come back next season. They are here and gone. They must be replaced every year because they cannot stand up to a harsh winter. 

The weeds however take no effort.  They actually thrive in no effort. I do not have to plant them, water them, or even purchase them.  They are just there. It takes effort to get rid of them. And no matter what I do, they will be back next year.  The act of doing nothing is the very environment that weeds love.  

Can this be any more true in our own lives?

I want to take a look at my life.  At the things that are growing in my soul.

Maybe there are things that are growing, that are taking over, because of pure neglect and apathy.  The things that are easy to believe because I have made no effort to combat them. The things that are filling out the empty space that I leave.   That have choked out the life of other things. What are the things that I need to actively weed out, maybe daily, because they have no place in my life.  Have I allowed myself springs of apathy, where these weeds grow wild and free?  

What are things in my life that are just pretty flowers? Sometimes these things are not harmful, just seasonal.  Maybe it is a phrase of affirmation. Beautiful words that are ok for a moment, but not sustainable. Things that will not carry you through a hard winter.  Pretty flowers that could be uprooted in a harsh wind. These things are ok to cultivate, to allow for a season. But are not vital to life. 

Enjoy these for the moment.  But keep an eye on them. Are these beautiful things that encourage you, but you are putting your hope in?  Things that you are trusting to be rooted deep? Things that you think are truths to build your life on? Beware of things that are fleeting.  Hold them loosely. Make sure that you don’t just get distracted by the pretty flowers. Invest in truth. Saturate your heart in things that do not fade away.  That are not uprooted by strong wings, or waterlogged in torrential downpours.  

If we are going to use this analogy, fill your yard with balance.  Stay vigilant to uproot the weeds that threaten to take it over. Fill the pots with pretty things that bring joy and light.  But I also want a yard with trees. Strong trees with deep roots, thick trunk, and reaching branches. I want a life that is rooted like a tree that won’t be blown away in the wind.  One that stands the test of time. One that leaves a strong legacy founded on Truth.