Separating the vegetables from the weeds

I went out this morning to check the garden boxes and quickly noticed that what is supposed to be lettuce is now overrun with weeds. I don’t think our lettuce is going to make it.

It was a late plant anyway, and more of a “maybe it’ll grow” experiment than a life necessity. But still, I really wanted to eat my own home-grown lettuce.

My problem: I didn’t put a weed barrier underneath the soil I added to the box, thinking that I’d built the box up high enough and added enough clean dirt to prevent a heavy dose of weeds. It was really, really hot that day — the week was averaging about 100 degrees — and I was tired, deciding to skimp a little, cut a little corner that I didn’t think too important.

Now, I’ve half a garden box that’s empty of anything I might want to eat.

I realize that raising families is like this. I know you do, too. But it was a great reminder of the effort God expects and our children deserve.

Having chosen to live for Christ and to bring up our children in the faith, we’ve no excuse for cutting corners when it comes to raising up the next Godly generation. Jesus warns us of this in the parable of the wheat and the tares, in which a man plants a field of wheat only for a field of weeds to grow up among and threaten his entire crop (Matthew 13:24-30).

Separating the vegetables from the weeds

We’re constantly battling an enemy for the spiritual lives of our children. Peter warns us to “be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). It’s true. I’ve seen my children, and will continue to see my children, battle their own insecurities, their own penchant for sin, just like I did as a child and still do as an adult. Likewise, we all struggle with balancing our Christian calling with what is and isn’t acceptable in the outside world — a cliffhanger without a net if we’re not careful.

We’re called to plant a garden in the hearts of each child the Lord gives us: to water, fertilize and care for them just like I’m supposed to do all I can for a successful round of vegetables. We are to be diligent in keeping the weeds away from our children, protecting them at all costs so that what the Lord has started in each one of them can blossom to fruition, bringing about the “good works, which God prepared beforehand” (Ephesians 2:10).

Yet, often the decisions we make invite the weeds into the gardens we’re to be so carefully tending.

I get that it’s a struggle some days. And my attitude is often the biggest hindrance to keeping my family on track. Some days it can feel more like work than joy. Peter exhorts us to voluntarily shepherd the flock of God among you” with an eagerness that rubs off on our own children’s desire for Godly excellence (1 Peter 5:1-4).

In the end, it’ll be a disappointment if only the zucchini and squash grow while the rest is choked out by weeds, but not the end of the world. I’m sure none of us would ever say that about the spiritual growth of our children.

And to correct my gardening mistake will now require more work than if I’d done it right the first time. Again, the same can be said for my family. A little extra effort in the beginning may not ensure all of our children will do exactly what God says, but it definitely increases the odds of a healthy harvest.