“Let us
rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on
to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before
us.”
Hebrews
12:1
I admit I had noticed a week or two beforehand that the
weeds were sprouting up. But it always seemed I was on my way to somewhere else
when I saw them. I would think to myself,
I need to pull these out. Of course, I never got around to it.
Ugh! When I finally found the time, the weeds were out of
control! I worked fast and furiously yanking those prolific plants out of the
ground. Some of them had wound their tendrils around plants
I didn’t want
pulled up. Others were determined to keep their roots firmly clenched in the
dirt. Some took over whole sections between my bushes. I realized my job would
have been a lot easier if I had addressed the problem when I first noticed it.
As I sat back on my haunches to rest my hands, God showed me
that those weeds are very similar to sin. Sin is subtle in how it works its way
in—a little lie here, a bit of gossip there. If not addressed, sin becomes a
habit in our daily lives. If left unchecked, one sin can lead to another and
another.
Scripture can open our eyes to sin in our lives. When we
recognize it, God encourages us to confess our sins to Him (1 John 1:9), like
yanking up weeds by the roots. God also tells us to confess our sins to a
fellow believer (James 5:16). Then that person can pray for us and hold us
accountable.
Sin, no matter what it is, needs to be admitted and addressed
sooner rather than later. Let’s get those faith-choking weeds pulled before
they overrun our spiritual gardens.
Blessings!
Pam
©2016 Pamela D. Williams
