My first job was working for our neighbors pulling weeds. That summer I would make my way through our backyard and then up a little trail through the bushes that led to our neighbor’s yard once or twice a week. I spent many hot hours in their flowerbeds on my knees meticulously extracting every stray blade of grass or vagrant dandelion.
Note: This is an excerpt from my new book “What If.. How to Kill Worry and Anxiety Before They Kill You! You can order a copy on Amazon.
I didn’t particularly enjoy weeding but I did enjoy the 2$ and hour they would give me! I also felt like I was doing something significant, I was saving the flowerbeds from sure doom! I quickly realized how fast weeds grew.
If I didn’t come for a week or two the weeds would already be making a good comeback, they were bigger and their roots were deeper. They also required more of my strength and time to remove!
If left alone for even longer the weeds would overtake the flowers, occupying every square inch of soil and sucking up the moisture. The flowers would simply shrivel up while the weeds pressed for the sky!
Weeds of the spirit
Worry and anxiety are the weeds of the mind and spirit. Do nothing and they will grow! Leave them alone hoping that they will go away and when you come back they will be bigger and stronger than before. Eventually they crowd out everything else and do real damage to your spirit!
In the New Testament Jesus used a similar illustration when he taught his disciples about the destructive nature of worry. In the parable of the soils (Matthew 13:3-9) Jesus explained how worry can completely take over our life, not even leaving room for us to respond to the message of the gospel.
Other seeds fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes grew higher and choked them out. Matthew 13:7
Later the disciples asked Jesus to explain this parable to them and this is what he said.
As for what was sown among the thorn bushes, this is the person who hears the word, but the worries of life and the deceitful pleasures of wealth choke the word so that it can’t produce a crop. Matthew 13:22
Jesus compares the worries of this life to thorn bushes that invade the space and leave no opportunity for the seed of the gospel to take root in man’s heart. He then goes further to talk about how the deceit of possessions and wealth choke out any space that might be left for the seed to grow.
Worries of life
What does Jesus mean by the “worries of life”? The Greek word translated “worries” in Matthew 13:22 is “merimna”. It is often translated as worries, cares or concerns. It can be used in either a positive or negative sense but the basic idea is something that requires attention.
In the context of this parable in Matthew 13 the “worries of life” is a general statement that could refer to almost anything in life that hinders us from hearing and responding to the truth of the gospel.
Distracted by the mundane
Literally the Greek word “mirmna” means “to distract” or “to divide”. Jesus was showing his disciples how easily the ordinary things of life can become a problem when we allow them to distract us from the most important truths of life. Worries desperate us from the very essence of life, they pull us away from the Giver of life and keep us focused on the mundane and superficial aspects of life.
It is waking early with the tasks for the day already on our mind, it is making sure the kids are dressed and fed and out the door for school, it is jumping in the car with coffee in hand and rushing to work, it is receiving a paycheck and paying the bills, it is our regular tv shows and evening news.
Focused on the superficial
The worries of life are everything and anything in life that demand our attention and keep us focused on the superficial details of getting through another day.
The things in life that we worry about are not evil by nature, often they are simply tasks that need to be done. The problem is when we allow them to distract us from what is really important, when we allow them to choke out the truth of the gospel in our hearts.
Bill (cycleguy)
May 21, 2014it is so easy to allow the mundane to take over. it takes constant diligence to make sure the main thing stays the main thing. Good thoughts Caleb.
Caleb
May 25, 2014I think it really does have to be a daily matter of turning your attention to the Lord. Thanks for reading Bill!
Bryan Entzminger at Engaging M
May 21, 2014To answer your question, I try to always focus on God in my quiet time first and then do all the other stuff after that. And I daily remind myself to seek God’s Kingdom first and allow the other things to be added to me. (Literally, I remind myself every day).
I don’t always do it all that well but that’s what I’m doing.
Caleb
May 25, 2014Certainly it’s a great idea to give your attention to God’s Word and prayer at the beginning of the day! Thanks for sharing Bryan!
Thomas Mason
May 21, 2014I often fail to do what I NEED to do versus doing the things I WANT to do. If it’s not for a determined focus I would always go to those things I want to do first.
Caleb
May 25, 2014It is helpful to know what we need and what we want. So often our wants are given much higher value than needs.
Kimberly A Edwards
May 21, 2014Very well stated, Caleb. I so love and appreciate how God is using you. I believe the adversary is so slick in the way he distorts God’s truth just enough to make it a lie causing people mental distress in life. Learning to weed him out is crucial in our lives. Sometimes, in my own life, I get caught up in anxiety and neglect my mental garden and the weeds almost overtake. Amen that we have a Savior who is within us, The Holy Spirit, to remind us to weed our mental garden.
Caleb
May 21, 2014Thanks for the encouragement Kimberly! You’re right, it’s so easy for those little things to sneak in and choke out the Gospel. It’s important that we are aware of it and engage daily with God’s Word!
Kimberly A Edwards
May 21, 2014Amen! =-)
Dan Black
May 22, 2014This is a great statement: “Worry and anxiety are the weeds of the mind and spirit.” Love the story about you pulling weeds, it’s a great analogy. I tend to worry about finances (being able to pay all my bills) and whenever I start to let it tangle around my life, God has a way of reminding me that He will provide everything I need. Great post!
Caleb
May 25, 2014Finances is a big one Dan. I’m going to be writing about that soon. Do you have any good suggestions for dealing with that particular worry?
TCAvey
May 22, 2014I try to begin my day by asking God to direct my steps and prioritize my “to do list”. I also try open to my day to being changed by God- Him mixing it up from what I thought I should be doing. Sometimes I get caught up in, “I’ve got to get this done” and God tells me, “No, you’ve got to focus on me.”
Weeds really do come back quickly. We can’t think, “once gone, always gone”. I tend to battle perfectionism and like to be in control. God has matured me in these area’s but I can’t think I have it conquered. I must renew my mind and submit to Him on a daily basis.
Caleb
May 25, 2014So true, there is a big difference between, “getting this done” and “focusing on God” We tend to live in a very pragmatic society where getting things done is the highest value.
Nancy Suko
May 22, 2014This is why we need to preach the gospel to ourselves everyday–and be overwhelmed by it. Then everything else seems just fine.
Caleb
May 25, 2014Being overwhelmed by it is key! Too often we are underwhelmed by the Gospel!
Caleb
May 25, 2014Yes, striving for Him is the way to go! I find that the more I pursue God the less chance I have for worry!
Micah
June 4, 2014This is absolute dynamite, Caleb. A great illustration and explanation of an important truth that I find myself needing to learn and re-learn in different ways and in different areas of my life over and over again. For me, whenever I neglect to allocate time in my day to just being alone with Him, either via prayer or with my bible, I jeopardise my peace, the inner sense of stillness that just somehow comes from time in His presence, and I find myself thinking, feeling and responding to life in a way that is anxious and negative. I think it’s so easy to underestimate how much of an effect these seemingly subtle things can have on our spiritual, mental and emotional wellbeing – and therefore our relationships, our interactions, our choices, our work, everything. As the good book says (Proverbs 4:23) ‘guard your heart, for everything you are and do flows from it.’ Vital words. Fantastic post! Thanks for feeding me today, Caleb!
Caleb
June 5, 2014Thanks for the encouragement Micah Iove what you’re saying about daily spending time with the Lord, it really does make a difference as it helps us see that not everything depends on us!