If you’re not a fan of weeding, this entry might strike you as odd: This guy really enjoys pulling weeds! But if you read along or watch my thoughts, you might start to understand why I can rhapsodize about the never-ending task of weeding.
I really like to weed. Especially after a soaking rain, when the weed roots don’t have a tight grip on the soil. Especially in the morning, before the weeds awaken to their dull life task of being obnoxious and out-of-place in an otherwise orderly universe.
I like weeding because it feels like I’ve accomplished something when I’m done. I get to make choices about what stays and what goes. Weeds are stacked in a compost heap, Previously choked plants are taking in more sun and water. I sense being in control of something in nature.
Weeding time is quiet time, and strangely inviting of prayerful thoughts. Meditating about the nature of good and evil, about the weediness in my soul, about the beauties of the natural world, about having capacity and agency to make something good happen. I think of God as a gardener, the Spirit as a waterer, the Son as a harvester. I recall Scriptures related to plants and gardens and weeds. I marvel at the tenacity of weeds over time, their (evil?) power to overwhelm or discourage.
When I expand my vision about weeding into other places in life, “weeding” becomes an example of how I can root out unhelpful habits or relationships. Weeding reminds me of the places I may not belong—where I am named as a weed! Weeding takes on a spiritual cast as I think about places where what’s noxious or overwhelming require my actions.
Now can you see how weeding could be an enjoyable part of your lifework….?
