So, the other day, I decided that I was going to go out into my front yard and dig up all the weeds. Now, if you know me, you're trying to figure out why I decided that I was going to go out into my front yard and dig up all the weeds. If you don't know me so well, you're trying to figure out why you should even care. Stick with me... I'm going somewhere...
I got up, got ready, and had my coffee (y'all know I likes my coffee). I then grabbed my gloves and my little shovel thingy (yes, shovel thingy) and headed out. I got down on my hands and knees, I sure did, and I started digging. I got to digging up the roots, not pulling, because I was told that if you just pull the weeds they'd just keep growing back. The first few were fairly easy, which was the encouragement that I needed or else I would have taken myself right back into the house. Alright, the next few that I dug up weren't as easy. These weeds made me frustrated because they took a little more elbow grease, some deeper digging, and caused me to break a little sweat. No worries, I kept going.
By the time I made it to the middle of the yard, digging for weeds became a little more tricky. See, there is a row of big plants and right in front of these plants was a row of weeds. Though they were weeds, they were pretty leafy, like nice plants and they were lined up in a neat row. And they were kind of cute. I guess, but can weeds even be considered cute? You know what? Never mind (eye roll). Anyhoo, I recognized that they were weeds and got to digging. The issue was that they brought on feelings of anger, way beyond frustration at this point. I had to dig much deeper and use a lot more elbow grease to remove them. These weeds made me recall why I don't do yard work. I had dirt everywhere, in my hair, nails, and in my eye (the left one). But I finished guys. I successfully dug up all the weeds in my front yard... be proud.
All of this brings me to my point. My front yard made me think of all of our lives and how there are "plants" that are there to grow. These plants are our personalities, character, purpose, the passion that we have for the callings on our lives, and the destinies we are to fulfill before we leave this earth. And then, there are the weeds. Weeds are the things that come along and cause adversity, strife, situations, and circumstances and stuff. Mmmkay, weeds, if we allow them (and depending on the weed), can teach us valuable lessons, though they are not to remain in our lives. Some are much harder than others to remove, but we've got to do the digging necessary to get rid of them.
The first step is to identify what the weeds are in our lives. Once we do this, we've got to figure out what their roots are. Some are the little, easy to dig up, nuisances that can start small but grow into big problems, if we let them. For instance, being late all the time is a weed, but what is the root? It could stem from having an extra hour one day and now you push the snooze button out of habit. We've got to know that we cannot be successful and excel at what we are called to do if we are always late. You can't lead if you're always the last one to arrive. Get to digging.
Then you have those medium strength weeds. The ones that that cause you to dig a little deeper and use a little more elbow grease. You may even break a sweat trying to get rid of them. These are things like financial strife or a bad attitude. Now, financial strife can be rooted in any number of things, like that first credit card they sent you your freshman year in college or even student loan or medical debt. Then, there's that bad attitude weed. Uh huh. These weeds can be rooted in the job that you refuse to leave because they pay you really well, but stress you out. They can be rooted in who you allow in your atmosphere. Because you know what? No matter how good those friends may seem to you, if they are always complaining, gossiping, and unhappy, they are projecting that onto you and eventually (if it hasn't already) it'll cause you to operate the way they do.
Okay, now we get to those tricky weeds. The ones that, though they aren't favorable, are so large and deep rooted that we don't even realize they aren't plants. Often, these weeds take up so much space and have been growing for so long that we cannot imagine ourselves without them. They can cause that "this is just who I am, take me or leave me" attitude. These weeds can include anxiety, depression, aggression, being a busybody, people pleasing, insecurity, promiscuity, or fear. Roots such as grief, abuse (physical, mental, emotional), molestation, and neglect can cause these types of weeds to grow. Removing these weeds can bring on those feelings of anger, jog some memories, and set off some triggers.
It can be a hard task, but we've got to identify our weeds then dig up their roots. Otherwise, we risk them overtaking our "plants" and stunting their growth. Next, we must choose the proper removal method. I know that for my front yard, I had to first dig up the roots, then spray weed killer to keep the weeds from growing back. For some of us, digging up weeds looks like eliminating the snooze button from our morning routine. For some, it's taking a budgeting class or opening that extra savings account. Digging up those roots may mean limiting our time with certain friends, or finally leaving that job that God is trying to get us away from. And some of us need to go ahead and schedule some therapy sessions to dig deep enough to remove the roots.
Whatever your "weed removal" looks like, please be sure that you are patient with yourself throughout your healing process. I was in my front yard for a little over three hours and it took almost three days for me to recover. My fingers were swollen, my body ached, and I was exhausted, all from just 3 hours worth of yard work. It's going to take time and it may cause some aches and exhaustion. Remember that quitting is not an option. You've got to be willing to do the deep digging so that those weeds don't have the chance to grow back and overtake your future.
Well, that's my story for today. Please, identify those weeds. Dig deep to remove the roots. And be patient with your healing process.
I love y'all (I really do)!
Ms. A.M.White