When Life Gives You Weeds

I sat in my back yard this afternoon with my wheelchair tilted back and an ice pack on my knee. I started to talk with God and thank him for the fact that I was feeling somewhat better and asked for his continued healing in my body. While sitting there staring at the weeds a goldfinch landed on one of the tall milkweeds. What a treat to see such a rare backyard bird! He was only 4 or 5 feet away from me and I was shielded from his view by the lattace wall of the ramada I was sitting under. I remained quite still and watched as he feasted on the milkweed blooms which look like dandilions.

He cautiously looked around as he ate and I said a silent prayer thanking God for the special moment. It occurred to me that the only reason I was able to see the goldfinch so close to me was because of the weeds growing in my backyard. Oh how often I have longed for a beautiful backyard and yet there was a beauty I’d never appreciated before. And then suddenly the goldfinch female showed up and she joined her mate in feasting. Fortunately GG the cat was in the house and Miss Ellie was in the front yard so the birds were in no danger.

I crept a little closer and closer, but still was shielded by the lattace wall. I observed them for several minutes and it was such a pleasure. This was definitely one time when my garden really was a meditation garden as I pondered the beauty of God’s creation and the unique opportunity he granted me to witness something most people will never see.

As I write this I am reminded that this week Christians all over the world will remember another garden — the Garden of Gethsemane. What occurred in that garden was certainly not as pleasant an experience as the one I had today. Jesus took some of his disciples to the Garden for prayer on the night he celebrated the Passover with them. He prayed a prayer of agony and a prayer of submission — “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39 NIV)
I am thankful that Jesus prayed that prayer and that he willingly gave himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. By accepting that gift we can have a right relationship with God the father. It’s a hard prayer to pray, but as a follower of Jesus it is one that I must pray as I submit my life to God’s will.

It’s amazing what weeds can show you…