Considering a weed

When it comes to tenacity, it’s hard to beat a weed.

I was pulling the wild things this week, amazed at the depth of their roots and the thickness of the stalk. It’s as if they know winter is coming and time is short.

Their goal is simple: provide for next year. They utilize their resources carefully because no little weeds will be coming in the spring unless they produce seeds.

The harvest is their reason for living.

Usually we consider the weed as an analogy for the persistence of evil, but consider it today as our pattern.

Remember God’s first words to Adam: “Be fruitful and increase in number.” (Gen 1:28)

Are we as determined as that weed? This isn’t just about children but about spiritual increase.

Time is short for those weeds trying to conquer my flowers. They will cling by a tendril of root to life if I let them. They sniff out the pockets of rain and push their way upward to the sun.

The opinion of the flowers doesn’t deter them. (Or for that matter, my opinion!) They aren’t sidetracked by their favorite TV show or a shopping trip. They don’t spend their spare time at the lake or shouting at a baseball team.

They are focused on fruit. Their summer work is the link to the next generation.

I’m not opposed to rest and relaxation. But we’ve made entertainment and personal fulfillment the gods of our generation. What is our goal? Are we concerned for the coming spring or for our own summer? How can we weave fruitfulness into our daily plan?

I know you think this is silly because weeds endure. We fight them but we can’t get them beaten back. They’ll be back next year despite our best efforts. They are frustrating in their resolve, amazing in their concentration.

Isn’t that the point?

“I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.”

Gen. 48:4