We started a new series at church, going through the parables Jesus gave. Sunday one of the pastors spoke on the parable of the wheat and the weeds.
Matt. 13 NIV
24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
Since Sunday I've really begun to see this parable take shape in my own life in a few different ways. I can see how my life as a whole is the entire field of wheat and how there are weeds there. I can also see my world as the field and how there are both kinds of people in my life. But the main thing I've been getting out of this parable is this. In either scenario God did not want the weeds removed because of His love for the wheat. No matter how overwhelming the "weed's" influence seems to be, the only reason it's there is because His love is so strong He doesn't want to even possibly harm the wheat. He lets me grow and gradually shows me the things in my life that need changing. This is a big eye opener when I think of other people and their walk with the Lord. If I see something I think isn't right it's not for me to walk over and rip out a "weed." If there are things in my life, circumstances or past hurts, that bring me pain and cause me to question, I can see it as weeds in a field of wheat. I see them as opportunities for God to show me even more of His love. Bad things happen and hurting people hurt people but it's only by the love and grace of the Father that He hasn't ripped out all the bad from our life. I long for the day that the harvesters come and separate the good from the bad. Until then I choose to believe my God is good and if there are weeds in my heart or life, I trust His purposes and the confidence I have from knowing it's all because of His love. There is a bigger picture, thankfully, if it was all about me and my world, well...you'd all be in for a world of hurt.
