A congregation of the United Church of Canada
Yard Play
“You’ve got to tend to the weeds.”
Moving to a larger property in the country has required that I spend more time out doing yard work that I had to before. It’s not that I don’t derive satisfaction and pride from it; it’s just that it feels like work. It also means that I have to have more yard-working tools, which means trips to the hardware store. I know some people light up when they walk through the hardware store doors. I find them intimidating because I just don’t know what everything is. Walking into a guitar store, on the other hand, is a trip to candy land!
So I’m out with my tools, doing my yard work. Last weekend it was all about weed-whacking. I had to spend extra time around the vegetable garden. Better soil not only encourages veggies to grow, but also weeds. It was looking pretty sad when I started, so that was motivating. I may not love to do the work, but I like to see it neat and tidy. So out I went, and I whacked, and I whacked! It was hard work – but it looks fantastic. For now, anyway. I know the weeds will return. It’s natural. But if you want to have a flourishing garden you’ve got to tend to the weeds.
How do you go about tending the weeds in your spiritual garden? It’s foolish to think you won’t have any. It’s natural. Weeds happen. You can put all your energy into loving, and sharing, and growing deeper, but weeds are still going to creep in. They seem to like your good soil! In the Parable of the Sower a gardener sows seeds on various terrains. Matthew 13:7 – Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. And then Jesus explains it in Matthew 13:22 – As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing.
I think we need two things here. One is a spiritual weed-whacker! Unfortunately, you won’t find them in stock at a hardware store (or a guitar store). The point is to be intentional about it – to put in the work of directly addressing the things that are ‘weeds’ in your spiritual life, and to remove them. It might take a while. Weed roots can go pretty deep. It may take a good deal of whacking to get to the root of it.
The other is to reframe our work into play. My wife is helping me with this. She suggested we don’t think of it as ‘yard work’ but as ‘yard play’. (She’s pretty wise!) Yes, it’s still hard work – but if you can shift your perspective to see it as play, then the hard work becomes much more enjoyable. (And you’re more likely to put in the effort!)
That leaves you with a couple of tasks. One is to figure out what your spiritual weed-whacker might look like. The other is to try to see your spiritual life – prayer, discipleship, worship, service – as play. If you want a beautiful, healthy, flourishing spiritual garden, you’ve got to tend to the weeds. And you’re far more likely to tend to your spiritual weeds if you see your weed-whacking as play. Happy gardening!