Making Room For The Good

If we're being honest, I waited too long. But hard things are hard to do. I'd seen it coming for weeks if not months. But the excuses were plentiful. I was busy. It wasn't that bad. I was probably the only who'd even noticed. Maybe it would stop. This was my first time and maybe there was something that I didn't know. But, this evening, I finally did it.

I pulled all the weeds in my backyard and the flower beds.

And while I put my lower back through a new exercise regime, some thoughts occurred to me about weeds.

- They're there because we let them be.  We see them popping up and could stop them immediately, but we don't. We let them grow because "it's not that bad." Yet.

- They blend in and aren't that different from what is supposed to be there. They're not that bad, we can let them stay a little while longer right? We'll get to them.

- The longer they stay, the deeper they're rooted. If we'd taken care of them right when they first showed up, it wouldn't have been a big deal, they'd barely established their place. Now they've got an entire root system.

- They're choking out the good that is supposed to be in their place. They grow faster and bigger and have an easier time showing growth. But, the longer they stay, the more space and resources they're taking from every else around them.

- When we do get ride of them, they leave a mark. If we go for the whole root system, they're gonna leave a bare spot in the yard. It is going to be obvious to anyone looking that something use to be there.

- We won't get all of them the first time around. No matter how thorough we are, there will be some that come back that we'll have to deal with again and again.

And whether the weeds we're pulling are in the backyard or in our life, everyone has them. But, not everyone is willing to living with them. And not everyone who wants to do something about them will. But, when you do, even through it will leave a mark and you'll get your hands dirty, you're making room for the good that can grow in their place.

And that's worth the pain.