Read: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

“I hate weeding,” Lynnie huffed, yanking another scraggly weed away from the green beans and throwing it into a pile.

Jayson sat on the soft grass, picking blades and throwing them into the air.

Lynnie watched the wind blow the grass away. “I don’t want to weed anymore, Mom. I want to go play. Weeding is boring.”

Mom knelt in the dirt. “Look at all these weeds. Do you know why we pull them?”

“Punishment,” Lynnie muttered.

“See these tiny pea shoots? They’re so little. They need water and sunlight to grow. See these weeds? They’re called wisteria.”

Jayson poked at the climbing vines and white flowers with a stick. “That doesn’t look like a weed. It has flowers.”

Lynnie held one of the white flowers in her hand. “Yeah, these are pretty. They’re not really weeds, are they, Mom?”

“They are pretty. But this plant grows long vines that strangle, crush, and ruin any other plants. It will destroy every pea plant in our garden, and then it will move to the green beans until the whole garden is nothing but weeds.”

Lynnie dropped the flower on the ground.

“Jesus talked about weeds,” said Mom. “He told a story that described people as different kinds of soil. Each group heard the truth of God’s Word, but one group’s soil had thorns, or weeds. A weed can be any anything that distracts us from God and makes it harder for us to hear and obey Him.”

“Like how these weeds make it harder for veggies to grow?” Jayson held up a thistle weed by the roots, the spiny leaves dangling from his hand.

Mom nodded. “When we get overwhelmed by worries or believe lies that tell us something other than Jesus will give us peace, hope, or joy, it’s like letting this wisteria grow in our garden—it may look like a flower, but it’s a weed. That’s why we need Jesus to weed our hearts. He gives His followers the Holy Spirit to help us focus on Him and understand the truth of His Word. Then good things can grow in our hearts and lives.”

“Like these vegetables in our garden.” Lynnie grinned at her brother. “Bet I can pull more weeds than you!” And the race was on.

–Nicole Monroe

How about you? Do you like to pull weeds? Probably not, but if weeds aren’t pulled, they’ll take over the garden so that nothing can grow. Because we live in a world filled with worries and distractions, our hearts need to be weeded too, and God does that through the Holy Spirit. Trust Him to make your faith grow by reminding you that peace, hope, and joy come only from Jesus.

Today's Key Verse: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NIV)

Todays Key Thought: Trust Jesus to weed your heart