It's A Blog Moment

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originally uploaded by Debbie Pryor.

I often tell people that my morning walks keep me sane. For me, walking is more than just reaping health benefits. I absolutely enjoy walking. There are mornings when I am tired, but I know if I get out of bed and proceed with my scheduled walk, I will feel much better. The heat, however, has been zapping some of my motivation, but I still walk. On my morning walk, I had a "Blog Moment." Imagine that! I finished my walk, grabbed my son's camera, snapped a picture, and created an image that I wanted to post and blog on. Hence, "It's a Blog Moment" was born.

There is something about a well-manicured yard that captivates my attention and causes me to dream about how I want my yard to look. I will ponder on various flowers that I like and imagine how they would look planted in my picturesque yard. The one thing I absolutely despise are weeds. Weeds, in my opinion, detract from the beauty of the flower that it surrounds.

Then I started thinking about how easy it is to mow a yard. Yes, it takes effort, but the lawnmower is doing all the work. You are simply guiding it along a designated path, and you do not even have to rake up the discarded grass. Once the lawn is mowed, a feeling of accomplishment settles over you. You then notice those pesky weeds which need to be removed, but you are not exactly thrilled with the prospect of removing them. Why, because you know that this job requires true back-wrenching work. By the time you have completed the weeding of your garden, your back aches, your fingers are red and itchy, your knees are sore, and you are miserably hot. In a nutshell, you simply are exhausted.

Can you see where I am heading with this thought? All of us have weeds in our lives that must be identified and removed. Sometimes it is a matter of recognizing something and repenting over it. Other times, it is a deep soul-searching task. Only you can put a label on your weed. Whatever it is, if it is not good, then it is a hindrance to you.

"Prevention is the first line of defense in keeping weeds from occurring or increasing. Eradication is the removal of weeds from an area so they will not recur unless reintroduced. Control reduces population. Adequate control may prevent future infestation. A weed management system integrates two or more methods into a plan of action." (03106.html) http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/natres/ Even though the above plan of action is dealing with true weeds, you can apply this concept to your spiritual life.

First, prevent the weeds from entering your life--repent daily. If you do something that is less than desirable, ask for forgiveness. If you find that the weed has already taken root in your life, eradicate it, and do not allow it to recur. Finally, take control of what is plaguing you. You alone must label the weed. Once it has been identified, take action and pluck it up by the roots. Kill that thing before it takes over and multiplies. You will find that once it has been removed, it can no longer survive and infect your pure heart.