Weeds

Back in the day, I was a Bible quizzer.  One of the chapters I was responsible for that I can no longer quote verbatim was Mark chapter 4.  The parable of the sower.  All I remember now (in trusty old King James English) is Hearken, behold there went out a sower to sow.

It goes on to talk about all the different types of ground the seed fell on: some didn't even get the chance to sprout, some later died, some grew and flourished.  But one of the strongest images to me in that passage is verse 7 which describes thorns growing up and choking the plants so that they didn't produce.  That image came to life for me when I witnessed that very phenomenon in my own little garden.

When I came back from Cuba, I was overwhelmed with how ridiculously my garden had grown.  Thankfully, I had people who were available to take care of it for me when I was gone.  When I got back, I went to work weeding.  While pulling the usual weeds out of the ground, I discovered a weed that horrified me.  It was a thin, rope-like stem of a weed that literally wrapped itself around the plants and entangled itself like an herbal boa constrictor.  I couldn't help but think of the parable.  This weed was literally choking my plants.  And it would have eventually rendered it unable to produce if I hadn't cut it away and pulled it up by the roots.

I just remember the shock when I saw it.  How unbelievable it was.  How is this weed doing this?  How dare it?  I felt violated.  I was reminded of evil.