Looks Are Important

In our backyard, Jordan and I have a fairly sizeable garden. In it you’ll find carrots, tomatoes, jalapeños, green peppers, onions, chives, spinach, lettuce, and peas. Not bad for gardeners with only three years’ experience, eh? However, you’ll also find the worst part: the rampantly growing weeds! In fact, I have a whole new understanding for the phrase “growing like a weed”.  After just a week away, we returned to a vast weed patch; weeds filling in the rows between vegetables and grown taller than our carrots, peas, lettuce, and spinach plants. When time is limited and the heat intense, it’s my temptation to simply chop the weeds down at the surface with a hoe rather than attacking them and pulling them up from their roots – where the real problem lies. Although I know they’ll spring up again quickly, at least my garden looks better. And looks are important. Right?

I’m afraid we can do similar things with our lives. Our weeds aren’t green, prickly, or ground covering – but sin. Things we know the Lord does not approve of; things He commands us NOT to do. They are selfish actions and thoughts, anger, a gossiping tongue, self-righteousness, lustful passions; they are movies and music that do not glorify God. They are things that should have no place in the lives of a believer.

When we decide it’s time to take care of the weeds in our lives, it’s easy just to clean up the outside, isn’t it? Because that’s what people see.  So to our self-righteous, self-preserving selves, that’s what matters. Looks are important. Right?

Jesus spoke up against this kind of behavior as seen in the lives of the scribes and Pharisees:

“’Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.’” – Matthew 23:25-28

Unfortunately, Jordan and I’s garden will never be completely rid of the weeds that come back year after year, weeding session after weeding session. So too will our lives never be completely rid of sin. Praise the Lord that Jesus has taken care of the eternal penalty of sin for us – but while we’re on this side of eternity, we are going to struggle with sin. With our weeds. However, rather than simply chopping them down at the base to appear good to others – and maybe even to ourselves – let’s strive to pull them out at the roots. Pulling those weeds out at the roots takes work; so too will working to rid of those sins in our lives. It's a work we won't finish this side of eternity -- but let's press on, never giving up, and striving to "'be perfect, as [our] heavenly Father is perfect'" (Matthew 5:48)