A couple of weekends ago I began cleaning out my flower gardens for the winter. While I thoroughly enjoy the flowers during the spring and summer months, I absolutely despise the clean-up during the fall due to my allergies. Every year there is one flower bed I always tell myself, “I’ll never plant these again!” It’s the bed that has those darn morning glories that grow up a steel trellis. Yes, I said steel trellis. It has to be steel because even with just 1 package of seeds, the vines become so overwhelming they have broken every other trellis I’ve had (I used to plant 2 packages…ugh). Every year when it’s obvious the vines are dying, I go in and cut the vines at the base and then leave them to dry. I have found that once they are dry, I can more easily tear them down and away from the trellis. For some reason this year, when I went to tear them down, not only had they dried, but they had dried seed pods on them also. Now you more experienced gardners may have seen this, but I’ve never had morning glories dry to seed pods before. As I tore them down, pollen rained down on me covering my arms and neck. Needless to say I began to itch profusely and broke out in a terrible rash. Much Benadryl and hydrocortisone cream later, I’m better, but that was Saturday morning and it’s now Tuesday and I still bear the evidence of that rash. You are wondering when I’m going to get to the point, right?
As I tore the morning glories down I was amazed at how just a few seeds had taken over and changed with time. They were so beautiful and delicate when I first planted them. Now, they strangled me and the trellis as I fought to tear them down. Needle like pollen seeds covered my body. My admiration of their former beauty turned to disgust and misery at their final product.
Isn’t sin the same way? It is so attractive to us. Not only does it just look good, but the fragrance of sin is so appetizing. It’s easy on the eyes, delicate to senses….almost invigorating. Slowly it creeps into our lives and grows, encompassing every part of our being…just as the morning glories did to the trellis. Then, when sin has run its course, we are left bearing its burden; strangled, almost lifeless, unable to break free from its hold. That is until the Master Gardner comes to prune His branches. He removes the weeds of sin from our life with His ultimate Miracle Grow…His blood! His gardening tool, the Word, helps us break free from the strong hold of sin. But even though He rescues us from sin, sometimes we are left with the scars or “rashes” of those sins. Those He can heal too with the right medicine of daily prayer.
I know I've been lured in to sin by its outward beauty and aroma before, only to be left praying for God's help in breaking free from that sin. Have you become entangled in some sin? Ask God to pull you free from that sin in your life. Just as I always end up planting morning glories, some sins are tougher for us to break free from. Alone, you and I can do nothing, but with God's help we can do anything.
Ask God to break that stronghold for you. Don't be discouraged by the weeds of sin in your life, but look to the Master Gardner to prune you and help you grow!!
…Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Phil 3:12-14
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. John 15:1
Can you think of an area of life that seems to be a constant battle for you? Pray about it specifically! Don't be afraid to confess it to God! He knows it there! Look for verses that speak to that sin and overcoming it and use them in your prayers! Overcoming a particularly difficult area in your life cannot be done by shear will power. Ask for God's help to overcome your darn morning glories! I bet you will be blessed by the beautiful garden of blessings that replace them!
