::Green-Thumb NOT Required::

Sitting in the back seat of a big van, bouncing up and down as we drove down tiny dirt roads, I remember looking out at the beauty of Romania. Lush green fields, breathtaking mountains, shepherds guiding their flock; it was a sight that will never be forgotten. During our long ride into (what felt like) the middle of nowhere, I sat quietly and gazed at the scenic view flashing by me. Once we slowed down a bit I was really able to observe and my eyes were continuously drawn to some beautiful flowers on the side of the road. I kept trying to figure out what they were but finally I gave up and asked...the answer, however, wasn't at all what I was expecting....

"Oh, those? They aren't flowers... those are just weeds"

"Weeds? They can't be. They're so pretty!..", I thought to myself.
How in the world could something so beautiful be a weed? It's uniqueness on display for all to see, captivating you with it's color and demanding your full attention. (I still don't know the name of the weed, but even if I did I probably wouldn't be able to pronounce it in Romanian! Ha!) They covered the roadside and grew in remarkable abundance. While still being surprised by the answer I'd received, God began speaking to me in regards to those weeds. I hope what I share makes as much sense to you as it does to me!

How many times do we see sinful things put on display by the world - enticing us to take part and inviting us to embrace? The world tells us "beauty/happiness is... [insert sinfulness here]" and we're to chase after it. We've been fed lie after lie to pursue sexual immorality, dishonesty, lust, jealously, vanity, greed, etc... and for what? To obtain a sense of self worth? You cannot find worth in worthlessness. To become more independent? To "find ourselves"? The season of sin (Hebrews 11:25) is short lived and produces nothing worth having, it's as simple as that. Like those weeds, which grow wherever it wants and destroys whatever gets in it's way... we, as people, do the very thing. Sometimes, we place our sin on display because the world tells us it's beautiful, we do what we want when we want to because it makes us happy and we feed our sinful passions without hesitation even though it often results in the destruction of those we love and the lives we live. The world promotes, endorses and glorifies sin at every level, attempting to make that the standard to which we hold ourselves to. How tragic it is to know that now sin is no longer frowned upon by the majority but condoned and commended! Once upon a time, there was a day when people sought to preserve their innocence. Once upon a time, there was a day when purity was praised. Now what do we find? Mocking, teasing and bullying if you haven't lost your "V-Card" by high school. Now, we find a man's sexuality being questioned if he hasn't slept with or kissed a girl by the age of 16 (probably even younger). Why is this the case? How can this be? I find myself asking this constantly but I feel it really boils down to this: We've lowered the bar of our standards and settled for average. Jesus wasn't average, He was perfect! And while we, in our flesh, will never obtain that same perfect status... we are to strive after perfection because THAT should be our standard - Christ should be our standard!

As I kept pondering, God continued to reveal things to me. I love it when He does that! :)

If you rid your garden (aka: life) of the weeds (aka: sin) when they first take root, it's much easier to maintain  than allowing them to dig deep, produce more and take over. Eventually though, that's what happens... We cultivate, feed, coddle and pamper our sin instead of ridding ourselves of it! It's hard to have a pure, radiant garden when horrid, ugly weeds have taken over...Actually... it's impossible! We must stop asking God "Why am I not producing a harvest?","Why is my garden not thriving?", "Why, why, why?", when the truth is... we've cultivated an atmosphere incapable of producing such marvelous things. The more light, water and nutrients you give your garden (aka: life) through a personal relationship with Christ, constant prayer and scripture reading the more pure and radiant a garden you'll have! When you allow weeds and darkness to overpower you, death and destruction are the only logical outcomes.. So don't act so surprised when that happens. Maybe you have embraced sin in the past and you're looking at your garden and you feel it's too late- I'm here to tell you IT'S NOT! God is willing and ready to rid you of that filth and restore you!.. if you call upon His name, turn from your sinful ways and enter into a personal relationship with Him.

I learned so much from those weeds that day, I've thought about it constantly since then. I refuse to embrace something sinful even if it's pretty, I refuse to embrace something sinful even if it's fun... Jesus gave far too much for me to waste His precious sacrifice on petty, worldly things. Instead, when the weeds try to plant themselves in my garden (which they will- and there's nothing wrong with that... Temptation/Sin is only wrong when you surrender and succumb to it) I will go through the painful process of defying my fleshly desires and rid myself of them! I will fight to preserve my garden, I will fight to maintain my garden and make it a safe place for others, I will fight to cultivate Godliness so that when others view my garden they don't see me but the handiwork of our most Beloved. Are you ready to fight? Are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of Christ? If so, let's put on our gloves and get to work- we've ALL got some gardening to do! ;)

-Taylor