It was a cool, refreshing evening. The rain had cleared away, and my husband and I had just gotten back from a lovely walk. As we entered our front yard I noticed a rather large patch of weeds next to the sidewalk. We knelt down to pluck them out, and I found myself embarrassed that we had let them get this out of control. If you’re anything like me, you take pride in a front yard that’s well-kept and taken care of.
I started to think about my own life. Left un-checked, my soul can quietly become cluttered with all kinds of obnoxious weeds like the thistles I was pulling out. Pride, people-pleasing, comparison, anxiety, control, and selfishness can quickly take root in my heart.
Recently, I had discovered a particular obnoxious weed that had taken root in my soul in a lot of ways, fear. This ugly weed was crowding a lot of good things I desired. It was the underlying reason for some negative, undesirable fruit in my life.
That discovery took me on a journey of intentionally getting rid of this obnoxious weed. Similar to thistles that grow really deep roots, removing fear has been one of the hardest inner renovations I have done. However, nature taught me another valuable lesson that day. As we continued pulling out weeds, I noticed that whenever I would remove the rocks surrounding the weeds they would come almost effortlessly. It made me wonder, what rocks can I remove in my life that would make getting rid of fear easier.
For me, some of the rocks I started removing in my life are negative thought patterns, comparison, control, and a lack mindset. As I started uprooting these things and replacing them with thankfulness, faith, an abundance mindset, and surrender, I noticed fear gradually began to be less prevalent in my life.
Pulling weeds may seem like a small, ordinary thing, but the lessons I learned that day have left a mark on my soul. It has made me more intentional, more surrendered, more loving, and more thankful.
Lisa Liebe