Stickerz!

My yard has more divots that Tiger Woods' yard! The cool morning and plethora of stickers in my carpet from trampling boyz (my two plus half a dozen from the neighborhood) has prompted me to hoe weeds this morning. This is the very first time I've EVER hoed weeds. I've wrote about it, but never actually done it. Pulled them out of the flower beds till my hamstrings were gonna fall off, but never with a tool designed to make the job easier?!%#$* Duh!!!

My conclusion, those sticker weeds aren't all their meanie selves are made out to be! They are 'root-less', pretty easy prey, with the right tool and soft ground, to chop out. A couple of whacks right behind the core and boom it's outa there, roots and all. I am overwhelmed by the different species of weeds in my yard. So much so, that I didn't even know where to begin. I decided, intelligently, to begin with the ones that hurt like blazes. Sticker weeds! I just made myself ignore the ones that sat there without stickers. I know they need to go, but they aren't hurting anyone. First things first. And, you know that I'm gonna share how the Lord spoke to me thru this whole ordeal, right?

Well, just when I'm thinking...I have it pretty together...this bible study that I'm taking starts drawing attention and exposing my 'issues'. The study calls them 'idols', but I prefer the word 'issues'! I read this..."But now also put these things out of your life: anger, bad temper, doing or saying things to hurt others, and using evil words when you talk." Col 3:8...and BAM, I think of the weeds! All those species of weeds that I need to 'put...out of my life'. Ya know, who doesn't have the anger species pop up from time to time? And who has the tongue species under foot, pray-tell, especially when the anger weed is stepped on? It's an endless battle! I'm gonna call 'em 'weedols', cuz I still don't like the word 'idols'. I don't think that every issue is an idol...I'm learning that an idol is one that has taken over and controlling the yard, one that has inched in and taken too much time, energy and resources. The over attachment kind! Now, weedols have NO place in my yard and I'm trying to rid my life completely of such. There are weedols that hurt and there are weedols that just make my yard look bad but don't really hurt any toes or heels, all of the above need to go. BUT, you wanna know what slams the bible study shut faster than anything? TREES! Misplaced TREES!

The easiest way for me to detect my idol, treedols mainly, is by discerning whether or not I really want it GONE. Remember, there are two different kinds of idols some are weedols (the bad stuff), others are treedols (the good stuff gone bad). Sometimes good things become an over attachment or they are misplaced. The best way I know to describe this is with my experience with THE TREE.

The TREE in my yard isn't a bad thing, it's a good thing. Well, this good thing is growing in the wrong place, between the stairs and the side wall of my sidewalk. It has wiggled and wedged its' way in between two things that are meant to stay in close proximity of one another. As I tried to dislodge this TREE, I noticed that this isn't my first attempt. There were old cut marks where I have tried to remove this TREE in the past. Apparently, I gave up getting to the root of it and just gave it a trim instead, a few pounds here 'n there...ya know, a good hair cut. Well, this particular afternoon I was determined to absolutely abolish this TREE. It's not that large. I tugged, twisted, turned, jerked...it wouldn't budge. I ran water thru the crack to wash out the dirt that held the tree like glue, to no avail.

This little guy isn't root-less, he's ruthless. And my goodness, this is exactly the way I feel with my modern day idol that was brought to my attention while studying 'No Other Gods' by Kelly Minter. Now that it's been exposed, I actually want it GONE. But, it's not budging! It is wedged between me and the LORD. It's not a bad thing, just a good thing in the wrong place. If I survive this study and the weeding of my yard, then I will have accomplished the impossible. My only hope is that this study is HIS tool that will make this extraction easier...with God ALL things are possible! It will soon GO, in the name of Jesus!