Weeding After
When I see a weed in the garden, I just want to pull it. Isn't that what you do with weeds?
But Berry observed that the Peruvian farmers knew how to wait. They let the weeds grow right alongside the crops, until the crops were well established. Only then did the farmers pull out the weeds.
Waiting. This is not my strong suit. I've planted something good! I see weeds that might choke out my planting! Rip! Oops. Weeds in my hand. My crop in my hand. Why didn't I wait?
Proverbs says, "... one who moves too hurriedly misses the way." 19:2
I consider that Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem, for the promise of the Father. For the Holy Spirit.
Don't miss the way. Wait. The Holy Spirit will come in good time, and bend down to pick the weeds. And you will fall in beside him, in good time. Simply wait.
"Holy Spirit" photo by Sonia.
Seedlings Invitation: If you post something related to this Seedlings post AND LINK YOUR POST TO THIS ONE, let me know and I'll link to yours. A few exceptions have been made, since I was unclear up front that YOUR POST needs to LINK BACK here. I like to do this to keep our conversations in "realtime" as much as possible. Oh, and I admit I like getting a kiss for a hug.
NEW LINKS TO THIS POST:
Waiting
Time to Wait
Labels: farming, Holy Spirit, life management, Proverbs, waiting, Wendell Berry, wisdom
posted by L.L. Barkat at 9:33 PM
23 Comments:
Waiting. I needed to hear it today, for I don't do it well in my writing or personal life! As far as weeds, however, I watch them grow a little too long, I'm afraid--they end up taking over my yard!
Matthew 13:25-30. . . in Jesus' parable, the landowner tells the workers to let the weeds grow along with the crop, so as to not uproot the crop. That's what the Peruvian farmers do! Isn't it cool that the Bible is relevant to our lives on so many levels?!!?
L.L.
A big theme in my life right now. (isn't it always?)
I did a post on this in October. You can link:
http://flourishingmother.blogspot.com/2006/10/waiting.html
Thanks, as always, for the analogies.
trying again:
Here it is.
That is some helpful wisdom. I look at my life and think, "I've been walking with Jesus for so long now but there's still so much junk left. Why can't the Holy Spirit just deal with it all right now and then I can live a righteous life". Now it makes sense why the weeding out of sinful habits takes so long.
LL and Andrea, this is good, but difficult, isn't it? Inihtar, that parable came up in small group last night.
Sonia, Nice photo.
L.L., Great words. I do get ahead of God and then I have to see things fail. I'm learning better to slow down and wait, but still have a ways to go, oftentimes.
I immediately thought of the same parable inihtar brought up. Ah, the waiting. I say I want to be better at it, but I don't, really, because then I would have to wait.
I really like this idea. My husband and I are just getting ready to think about our garden. It has beena LONG, cold winter in these parts. So, I am enjoying your reflections on growing, greening things. Thank you!
One More.... you bring up a good point. Sometimes even when the Holy Spirit is moving, we are sitting on the side of the garden taking a nap, or pretending to.
Ini... yes, what I like about the bible is that it grows partly from true-to-life experiences. It's not just a mythological book or so abstract that only the "elite" can hope to understand it.
Andrea... for now, yes. And someday, when the Holy Spirit starts moving in other directions, perhaps you'll long for this time of sitting in the shade. :)
A Musing... I like this idea of relating it to personal spiritual growth. Sometimes, our psyche is not ready to lose certain weeds... we simply aren't strong enough to face the process yet. So we wait to grow, because God deems it necessary. (For instance, I've always found it interesting that the brain represses some traumas until the "ripe" time to surface and deal with them.)
Craver... what is it, do you think, that makes waiting difficult?
Ted... oh, the lesson of disappointment and failure. That's always a strong teacher, if we hear its message.
Heather... funny! Now, what's the thing that stands in the way of wanting to wait?
M. Monk... ah, to garden. Yes, my barely-green thumb is itching to get into the dirt!
LL
Like you, I find waiting really difficult. I like to do...waiting seems so passive...yet, that's much of where God has me right now. I need to wait because it's a statement of faith - what happens is, I think when I'm not doing, nothing is happening...but the truth is that God is at work behind the scenes, in my heart, setting things in place for his own purposes.
Did I mention, it's hard?
Totally in the physical realm today...
I've been pulling out the old leaves and sticks from last year's garden, examining my plants that are supposed to be perennials but just don't seem to have any life left in them.
And yet...
My small amount of gardening experience has taught me that there is often life quickening deep down inside those bare branches. Waiting a few weeks before I yank them all out in frustration usually yields a few nice surprises. GREEN! LIFE! I wasn't sold a bum perennial last Spring! I just had to be patient.
Waiting is a hard place to be- especialy when finding trust. You are right about baby steps- but is that how come to trust that God is true- and if we know God is true- how is it that even then its hard to trust?
Oh, waiting . . . I often have an actual negative physical response to waiting -- I get sweaty and my heart starts racing. Then, I just jump ahead and do the thing I know I should be waiting on. And then comes the regret.
"Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed" Psalm 25:3
Andre... yes, I suppose that's it... we "do-ers" find it hard to sit still. Sometimes I wonder if when we are too antsy we get in the way and step on God's toes and slow down the process even further.
Erin... life quickening deep in the branches. I like that. Life on the outside might look, as Andre said, stalled. But life on the inside is waiting for the right time to come forth.
Betsy... no final answers here, but I do picture the trust/truth dance to be like a marriage or a partnership... truth can breed trust and vice versa, and though there are times of crisis, we might still be moving forward. Tell me, what are you really thinking about? Is this connected to some life experience that you are having right now? Curious.
Charity... great description of the problem! And wonderful Psalm. And I loved your companion post over on Wide Open Spaces. Such a beautiful illustration of the fruit of waiting.
I thought of your post today as I waited for a friend at Starbucks. I purposefully did not bring my laptop or a book to read in case we didn't arrive at the same time. As I waited for her, I found myself regretting that I hadn't brought anything to DO. Then I realized that I always feel the need to be doing something, always want to be productive. I had to make myself stop and appreciate the few minutes of just sitting there and appreciating the quiet moment to myself.
I so love garden analogies. When the kids were younger, we had a small farm and a very, very big garden. One of their least favorite tasks was weeding the garden because their dad taught them to be very careful with weeding – not plucking the weeds off at the ground surface because it makes the garden look neater and gets you done faster. If required, there was watering and softening of dirt and gentle digging to get all the roots out – long, hot (KY) and sweaty work.
The lesson transferred pretty well as an example for their rooms as they learned the difference in having a clean room versus a neat one (with everything thrown in the closet or under the bed).
I’m just hoping that someday it will transfer into a couple of their souls a little more deeply than I’m now seeing.
We often look at our neat garden and see weeds in other people's garden. We hurry over and yank them out and end up pulling out the good growth as well.
We can help our friend's gardens (when God's timing is ripe) by gently working the soil and getting to the root.
Late as usual.
Andre, we're praying for you man. Hang in there.
I'm not good at waiting either. Not at all.
I'm also quick to notice other people's weeds. I suppose it's little consolation that I notice my own too.
And after all the rain in Texas lately, they are getting to be pretty darn big.
You know, Peruvians or not, I'm going to weed my yard this Saturday.
Also, awesome picture. Really awesome. I hope Sonia keeps taking them!
Spaghetti... it is hard just to sit and BE, isn't it? I wonder what we are so afraid of?
Halfmom... a small farm! What did you cultivate? And are you now in the process of cultivating those souls you mention?
Eve... oh, yes! The parable of the "pull the weeds out of your own garden before trying to pull the weeds out of your brother's or sister's!"
Mark... I assume you've got some established grass though already? Or is it just a yard of weeds? (Weeds, by the way, are often what the land and local climate prefers to grow. I'm just beginning to study up on wild edibles... maybe I have a garden I don't even know about!
Thanks for the compliment to Sonia. No one can stop her with that camera!
Lots of resonance going on here. I hate waiting. And yet sometimes I'm kind of lazy about fixing stuff I really SHOULD be working on. Is it always easy to tell the difference between waiting and loitering? I mean, until something (like the ground, which you tripped on from loitering while the weeds were taking over) whacks you in the face and you HAVE to yank the weeds out?
Nice photo little Miss Barkat!
What an artist you are (just like Mummey!)
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