Saturday, August 13, 2016

Pulling Weeds


There was not much unusual about this morning.  There was the fragrant smell of rain that washed over me as I stepped outside, into the darkness.  This is My time, my Me time, no sun, no one needing my attention...well, Loki, my cat, he needed to remind me he could see the bottom of his food bowl...

My morning routine is almost the same as it’s been for a few years, I like routine where I can make it hold.  One thing has changed, one change I really cherish.  One change that I can’t seem to remember when it took root.  One change that pulled my first focus from social media, email, unread text messages, to a place that lays the foundation for my day.  One changed that pulled my eyes off what lay in front of me and pointed them up.  To Him.

Seven years ago, I lamented being awake before the sun.  Today, I can hardly wait to awake with the Son.  Where it began as I time to find peace in my life, it has now become War Time.  I sit in my War Porch (it’s kind of a room), my War is too big for a closet.  I light my candle, I gaze at the last picture I had taken with my dear grandmother, I open my War Room Playlist and begin my battle.

Time flies by, it was 7:45AM before I realized.  Funny though, I was at a good stopping point.  Though, honestly, it’s not funny, it’s timed.  Perfectly.  A client was arriving at 8:00AM to drop off her beloved Cuervo.  I wanted to avoid her knocking and sounding the alarm for the other three dogs in my care.  So, outside I went, into the stifling humidity that is August in Central Texas.

On the way out, I grabbed my gardening gloves.  Another unexpected change, I like pulling weeds now.  However, I found a reason to be thankful for the sweltering Texas heat.  It keeps the weeds down!!  I ended up watering my poor “drought resistant”, withered plants.  Lopped down some overgrown bushes that were impeding my weather station and view at the end of the driveway.  Cuervo arrived, my client thanking me again for helping her out...which, I always find weird.  Thank YOU for giving me a job!!  And a job a love more than I ever thought I would.  (Which reminds me...all his stuff is still sitting at the front door...waiting to be brought inside...I’ll be right back).

Ok, where was I?  Oh yeah, so, she thanked me, I thanked her.  Cuervo and I waved good bye and headed to the back yard.  This is where it gets weird, in my world at least.  Thwarted by the lack of weeds in the front, gloves still on, I decided, no, I was Drawn, to start pulling up weeds in my garden.  Why is this weird, you ask?  Because it’s hot, from the little I’d already done outside I was literally dripping with sweat, and because it’s hot.  What started as a small vision, pulling up the few weeds in my now brown garden, soon turned into clearing the 8x8 patch of weeds in front of my garden.

Now, it should be mentioned, that in my morning time with God, I am reading “Discerning the Voice of God” by Priscilla Shirer.  In tandem with “FerVent” also by Priscilla Shirer (which until this VERY second I did not realize...DOH).  Anyway, even thought that’s totally cool, my focus is honed in on two things:  1.)  Hearing and following the voice of God; 2.) Battling my true enemy.

So, here I sit, in the dirt, wondering why the heck I’m not going inside??  It’s HOT, if I haven’t mentioned that already...It’s hot, I keep flinging dirt on myself (this is Not my favorite thing to do), I keep having to shake out my shoes because there is dirt in them too!!  GAH!!  But I keep on pulling weeds.

Then, He hits me.  Go.To.WAR. “ You’re on your knees, you’re pulling up weeds by their roots”.  Symbolic much??  Every weed become my enemy.  My gloved hands the tools of the Spirit of God.  I begin to dig around the weed, give it a name of the enemy that is surrounding me and my family today.  And in the name of my Almighty God, I YANK that sucker right out of the round and throw it in the bucket.  “You have NO place here anymore”!!  My declaration.  Some, are my sins.  “Forgive me, Heavenly Father.  Thank you for the blood of your Son that was poured out over my weeds”.
Another thought came to me...my grandmother spent hours, probably thousands of hours, in her yard.  Pulling weeds.  I can only hope to become the Mighty Warrior she is.  Without doubt, she pulled those weeds, worked in her yard, and talked to God the whole time.  And here I was, finding myself in the position I found her so often, working in my yard, talking to God.

As I stood, back aching, not a dry piece of clothing on my body, dumping the fourth or fifth bucket of weeds with one last “You are not welcome here” for good measure, I looked at the weedless dirt before me.  “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me”.  -Psalms 51:10


There are more weeds to pull.  More wars to be waged.  Thank you, Father, for giving me the strength, the determination, the focus, the will, to seek YOU in everything I do.  Enemy, be on alert, I see you.  I know who you are.  Your weeds are no longer welcome in my life.  The war has only just begun.

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