Summer breeds weeds! Living between woods and water is a constant breeding ground for freely growing seeds – of authentic fruit and flowers and of weedy, prickly competition for garden space and good soil.

Nestled in the good fruit and flowers are posers, some looking and growing almost exactly like the true seed.

To protect the real plants, sweaty weeding is a must.  Concentrated, hand-dirtying pulling of the bad from the good,  to the deepest root.  Best weeding is just after a drenching, soil-pummeling storm.  Weed roots come undone and pull easily from their soil loosened grip.  When the sun shines, weeds hold tight.

How like summer soil am I?  Weedy sin-roots lurk next to good, God-grown fruit – in the same soil of my soul.  Struck by God’s nearness, He not only knows my weeds and flowers, He is next to me, weeding out what would otherwise suffocate and overgrow the good.  Constant, sweaty, dirty weeding.  His salty skin knows the worst from the cross.

Pride growing into humility’s space.  Selfishness wrapping around a servant heart.  Callousness encroaching on care.  Gluttony devouring a fasting mind.  For each good plant, there’s a counter-weed.

When days are sunny and life bright, inner weeds hold tight, more complacent with ease.  God cares intimately to tend, to spade my soil, to allow storms that soften my soul-soil and allow Him to pull up the most deeply entrenched weeds.

What if a summer storm is raining on your soul?  God is in the rain and in the softened soil, freeing your soul from the suffocating. Exhausting though it is, how good to be tended, culled, and cleaned.  To be weeded soul-soil readied for summer fruit!