Imagine a garden, freshly planted in the spring. Rich brown soil, tiny green buds poking through, minimal insect damage. Looks fresh, clean and oh so promising! But if we are not proactive about tending the garden and keeping an eye out for pests and weeds, they will quickly creep in. A month later, the bed is still growing and the green plants have started to grow taller, but an assortment of weeds have appeared as well. If we pull them out now, they are relatively easy to manage. Maybe we leave them alone though, because after all they are small and harmless, and we don’t want to damage the happy little plants. Another month or two down the line, those weeds have not only grown taller, but they have started to take over the garden. They are sucking all the nutrients and energy from the soil now and making it harder for the good plants to flourish. It also feels like an overwhelming task to pull them all out. At this point, we may even consider giving up and letting the weeds take over.
This is how “small” sins can enter our lives and begin to take root in our hearts, creating habits we never meant to form. Sometimes it’s the little, seemingly insignificant choices that we make along the way which grow into something bigger over time and find us scrambling to hide our secret sin from others. Routinely checking in with God, asking the Holy Spirit to convict us and show us where God wants to make changes in our hearts and lives, will keep our hearts and minds clear of weeds and more in tune with His will.
Is there someone(s) in your life that you can have open and honest conversations with, giving and receiving love and grace as you confess and repent of your sins? If so, treasure that relationship! If not, ask God to bring someone into your life. Repentance is meant to be a rhythm not a crisis. God, the ultimate gardener, wants to be in constant communion with us. He is always ready and willing to help pull out weeds getting in the way of living a life of freedom, a life truly pleasing and glorifying to Him.
-Lauren Hong