Weeding and Watering

Today’s Musing is from Margaret Fowler.

“But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” —John 4:14 NLT

As summer draws to a close, our garden is still thriving. We have enjoyed many vegetables and look forward to more, but I am thinking back to all the work of weeding and watering.

Recently, I was attempting to weed a part of our garden I had neglected too long. Those weeds were big and hard to pull out because their roots were bigger too—and they didn’t want to be uprooted!

As a child, I learned how to weed. I can still picture my father teaching me, kindly but firmly: “You must pull the weeds out by the roots, or they will grow back again.” Then my brother and I were each given certain parts of the garden to weed consistently and often throughout the summer months.

A few years ago, my husband had major heart surgery, and the next summer he definitely needed help as he worked in the garden. So, I volunteered my assistance. And of course … you guessed it! I was assigned this loooooooooong row of carrots to weed. That row seemed endless, but I kept telling myself, “Oh, well, I really do like carrots.”

In our Christian lives, we also need to work on the weeds. How often we develop certain habits as we go through life—some are good, but some are really bad. (I could share some of mine, but I would rather not!) Sometimes, we develop “weeds” of anger, envy, bitterness, complaining, judging, selfishness. If we let them grow, their roots grow bigger too. Remember, I told you how hard it is to pull out the weeds I had neglected? Bad habits need to be uprooted before they become ingrained in us. Acknowledge what is wrong, and ask the Lord for His help and guidance as we pull them out by the roots.

Weeding and watering are opposites: killing or life-giving. In dry times, we do a lot of watering in our garden. It’s much easier and cleaner than kneeling in the dirt weeding—and a joy to see the plants refreshed and flourishing. Water is a gift and essential for life. We are blessed in this country to have an abundance of water. In some places around the world, there is not enough, and people die without it. In the place my husband and I live now, we are not on town water but dependent on a well. If we water the garden too long, we turn on our faucets and there is nothing! That is scary. (After a bit, it does come back.) But, think about the times you have exercised vigorously like climbing a mountain, maybe biking, or just working very hard. How we relish a drink of cold water. What a blessing to have water at our fingertips!

Watering: gives life. Remember Christ’s words to the woman at the well, “‘But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life’” John 4:14 (KJV).

We need to water the fruit of the Spirit in our hearts. The way to water and nourish this fruit is by practice in our daily lives. Let them replace the weeds. Let the fruits grow and flourish.

But the fruit of the Spirit is

love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;

against such things there is no law.

—Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

Margaret is Sharon’s Mum. She and her husband have had 66 years of marriage and four children. They enjoy hiking, biking, canoeing, and just being outdoors, watching wildlife. Margaret plays the piano as part of a nursing home ministry. She has written many articles for her church newsletter, and some of these have been compiled into a trilogy of books: Holding My Father’s Hand, Holding My Daughter’s Hand, and Holding My Heavenly Father’s Hand, all available here on Amazon. 

Saved by grace,
Margaret Fowler

Sweet Selah Ministries

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Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

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