“Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.” Matthew 8:36-39
Anybody who has ever had a garden or lived on a farm with soybeans can certainly identify with these verses from Matthew 13 that talk about weeds. You go to bed with your garden looking great and there is a nice evening rain shower and in the morning the cursed weeds have come out of nowhere and are taller than the vegetables. You drive by your farm and see those rogue weeds standing five feet about your soybeans; where did they come from? We get tired of spraying and pulling them out and by the end of August quite often we concede and surrender to their presence. There are weeds all around us every day that are choking the life out of us although some them are a pretty shade of green with beautiful flowers and we kind of like the way they set us apart from the rest of the crowd; but they are ‘weeds’! Some of the ‘weeds’ in the lives of children in Trinity/HOPE programs are the voices of the neighbors and even family members who tell them “there won’t be any food tomorrow” and “God doesn’t love you, place your trust in vodou.” Today, how about taking an inventory of your life and identify the ‘weeds’ that are binding you from being a child of the Risen Savior or causing you to be much less than God created you to be. I am closing today with the words from the hymn ‘Open my eyes that I may see’ that were written by Clara H. Scott from Elk Grove, IL in 1895.
“Open my eyes, that I may see glimpses of truth Thou hast for me; place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclasp and set me free. Silently now I wait for Thee, ready my God, Thy will to see, open my eyes, illumine me; Spirit divine! Open my ears, that I may hear voices of truth Thou sendest clear; and while the wave notes fall on my ear, everything false will disappear. Silently now I wait for Thee, ready my God, Thy will to see, open my ears, illumine me; Spirit divine! Open my mind, that I may read more of Thy love in word and deed; what shall I fear while yet Thou dost lead? Only for light from Thee I plead. Silently now I wait for Thee, ready my God, Thy will to see, open my mind, illumine me; Spirit divine! Open my mouth, and let me bear, gladly the warm truth everywhere; open my heart and let me prepare love with Thy children thus to share. Silently now I wait for Thee, ready my God, Thy will to see, open my heart, illumine me; Spirit divine!”
Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you…Jay