Today was yard work day for me, and God showed me something I hadn’t thought of in ages: Grass burrs are evil, a perfect metaphor for sin.
You can pull up a clump of them by the roots and toss them in the garbage, but if even one little sticker falls to the ground, it’ll come back to bite you later. It’ll either sneak into the house by hitching a ride on your socks or shoes, or it’ll lay in wait for the next time you walk barefoot through your yard. Either way, it’ll get you. Trust me, I know.
Sin is the same.
You can pluck it from your life, but the remnants linger, lying in wait. And when you least expect it, “Ouch!” It’s there again pricking your mind, your conscience, and heart, determined to catch hold and stay.
It doesn’t have to be a “big” sin. After all, grass burrs are small, yet they make their mark, and everyone knows they hurt. So does sin.
Another thing about grass burrs is, like sin, they grow and spread and run wild – if you let them.
I used almost two gallons of weed killer today, dead-set on ridding the back acre of grass burrs.
My prayer today is this: Lord, show me the sins I need to kill. Fill me with the diligence and determination I need to be more like Jesus.
jbr
August 7, 2010
