Greg's Weekly Word: "weeds"

This past Saturday morning, some of our families spent some time in the garden at Annie's House.

Personally, I hate weeding. It is just SO tedious. So I wasn't exactly thrilled when I showed up and found out that's what we'd be doing for our missions morning. And as we looked over the garden, I felt like I was about to be "in the weeds." (I first learned that phrase back in college when I worked at The Blue Ridge Brewing Co., a restaurant in downtown Greenville. It meant when a server got overwhelmed and hopelessly behind, usually because they were attending to so many details of the tables they had.)

But I didn't really have a choice, did I?

So we got to work, slowly going through patches of peanuts with weeds growing all throughout them, and plots of soil with weeds covering more of the ground than the plants they were trying to grow.

I have to say, though: after a while, we could start to tell a difference. The plots of ground looked cleaner, and there weren't odd stems and leaves sticking through the patches of produce plants.

But maybe more importantly were the difference it was making that we could not see (and would not see...at least not for a while.) Because the staff at Annie's House reminded us that by pulling the weeds, we were allowing the flowers and vegetables to get more water, more sunlight and energy, and more nutrients from the soil. However, we probably won't see the way the flowers will bloom and thrive, or eat the fruit the plants will bear.

But this missions morning was another kind of reminder for me, especially since Jesus often compared the kingdom of God to a garden (or at least to growing plants). It was a reminder that even the small, tedious work we do for the sake of God's kingdom does make a difference, even if we don't see it...and especially when we work together.

So do something - anything - no matter how tedious or seemingly insignificant for God's kingdom this week. And as you do, I hope you can trust that you are helping God's kingdom to grow and thrive and bear fruit, even if you may never see it.

-GJD