How Not to Grow

Weeds have a habit of choking the life out of our most-loved plants. When the unwanted roots wrap around our "babies", we aren't as conscious of the damage. But when weed vines above ground start wrapping around the plant itself, we must take action and rid them of their attacker.

One of our pepper plants succumbed today, not to a weed vine, but to a "fellow" vegetable cucumber in the next row. We waited too long to rescue it from the choking tendrils, and I fear with the above-normal hot temperatures today it may not survive or will be severely stunted in growth.

As gardeners of our souls, we must be constantly on the lookout for weeds. Those nasty habits and character traits that don't belong in our life. But we also have to be aware of the good and wholesome things that identify us. We can become so absorbed in them that they cause us to be unbalanced and stunted in our spiritual growth too.

As a gardener, we're learning to pull the weeds and to train the vines. Neglect of either can have the same result. Limited growth.