Do You Have a Garden that Needs Weeded?

As the children and I were weeding the garden (which has been one of the most enjoyable activities for us so far this summer) we began to discuss how the process of pulling the weeds reminded us of Jesus.

As we carefully go about the garden, making sure not to step on the healthy plants, we tug and pull (and, when needed, use a spade to dig up) the weeds that are trying their best to encroach upon our thriving crops. So too, does Jesus "pull the weeds of sin" out of our souls. He is The Divine Gardener, so He knows right away what needs to go, and with His tender loving Mercy, He removes each and every one, then "waters the good crops" with His forgiveness, His Sacraments, His Saving Blood so that "the garden of our souls" can thrive and become ready for the harvest!

Usually, the kids will offer a little while of good hard work by my side, and then when I see that they've reached their limit, I tell them to go play nearby while I finish. (They love to run and play to work up a good hot sweat so that I will squirt them all with the hose when we're done!)

On that particular day, when the kids ran off to play, I continued to contemplate this analogy of Jesus "weeding the garden of my soul". As I pulled each weed, I named it in my mind...some weeds/sins came out rather easily like "my temper" and "sloth"....however, some needed my hand shovel and lots of digging and pulling like "my PRIDE" and "my SELFISHNESS".

I was a little disappointed that in thinking of my own personal transgressions (not just sins in general) I never ran out of sins for the weeds that I pulled! I kept waiting for the weeds in my real garden to outlast the analogous sins for which I was naming them...but it never happened...as long as I pulled, I had sins to name the weeds :( I also realized that no matter how good a job I had done in getting rid of the weeds, they would eventually return. :(

The bright side is that after the weeding, as I cleaned up the garden and watered it thoroughly, I knew that this was true for my soul as well...that as long as I am aware of the need for "my garden" to be weeded, and as long as I invite Jesus, The Divine Gardener, to "pull those weeds", then I have the promise that He will also "clean up my garden and make it beautiful again" and will "water it thoroughly" with HIS GRACE!

Do you have a garden that needs weeded today? Is it your spiritual garden...or, how about the garden of your marriage? Could your homemaking garden use a bit of tending?

It's good to know that which ever garden of ours is in need of care, we have the BEST gardener in the world standing by, ready and ever-willing to come to our aid!
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Today we celebrate the wonderful feast day of two great men: Saints Peter and Paul!!! Peter, our first Pope, is often remembered for having denied Our Lord three times...but the part of that story I like the best is that you will notice later in Scripture, that Our Lord ASKS HIM THREE TIMES "Do you love me?" ...He allows Peter to state his love THREE TIMES to cover each of the times that he had denied Him!

In the Catholic Church, we have just ended our year-long celebration of "the year of Saint Paul"...one of the greatest missionaries and preachers of all time! Check out Saint of the Day in my sidebar to read more about these two faithful servants of God!
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Today is Monday so there are two MEMES to share over on A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings! I hope you'll join us :)
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And if you have time, check out our nature blog (click the sunrise image in my sidebar). Recently on that blog, we shared info on telling the difference between frogs and toads...well, as good timing would have it...Jake found an actual FROG a few days ago and now we have both frog AND toad photos there for you and your children to compare!
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Mix It Up Monday (an idea)

Family Clean Up Week

Take one room of your house each day for one week and have everyone pitch it giving it a good cleaning from top to bottom...empty closets, cupboards, drawers, etc...wash down walls, get rid of clutter...

Put on some good music to get everyone moving and have a great time!

At the end of the week, have a cook out or special meal to celebrate your freshly cleaned house!
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Today's note from Cardinal Van Thuan's book: The Road of Hope, tell us:

"If you leave your home and go to a distant place, perhaps even thousands of miles away, but
continue to bring along all your bad habits and the "old self" of sin, what difference does it make?"