Where Did the Weeds Come From?

Monday, July 28, 2025

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?”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭27‬ ‭NIV

Whenever I walk around my house and look at my flower beds, I wonder this same thing. “Where did the weeds come from?”

This morning I tackled the interlopers under my sunroom windows. 

I don’t pretend to be a horticulturist. I don’t think these plants are weeds per se — I have no idea what they are. I just know they aren’t supposed to be there. I can’t really get rid of them because their roots are intertwined with the shrubbery. So they always come back.  They sneak up on me and before I know it they are huge again and are trying to take over the place.

Isn’t that what Satan does to us? He sows some sort of dastardly thing in our lives and then watches as it tries to take over. And it doesn’t even have to be a “weed” — like sin. It can be any ol’ thing that just doesn’t belong there — like insecurity or self-doubt or mistrust or fear. These things suck the life out of us. 

So how do we manage these parasites? 

(1) One thing we can do is to talk to the Lord about them. Describe them to him and ask him to remove them. Sometimes when I identify something that I don’t want to take root in my mind, I ask God to help divert my attention. Then I make the conscious effort to concentrate on something wholesome. 

(2) Philippians 4:8 says that we are to think about things that are “true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable.” If we do that, then the weedy stuff diminishes.

(3) And remember, God doesn’t want ugliness in our lives. He wants us to let the Holy Spirit shine through in the form of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:20

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

LORD, whenever weeds creep into our lives, help us remember that you don’t want them there. Help us depend on you, our Master Gardener, to keep them in check. And remind us of the things you prefer to have growing in our lives so that we can pursue them