Almost every day I go on a walk down my street and it’s remarkably therapeutic. It’s an opportunity to soak in the simple beauty of the day. The breeze rustling the leaves of the trees lining the roadside, the smell of the neighbor’s freshly cut grass hanging in the air, and the songs of nearby birds weaving their way in and out of the soft sounds of nature. In these moments, all is well in the world.
Until I noticed the weeds.
In some places they grow as high as my waist, wreaking havoc on the clean cut lines of the road and the pristine uniformity of the adjacent manicured lawns. It makes our street look unkept and unruly. Looking at the sight, my insides itched to get rid of these pests and bring rightful restoration back to the scene. So I did. One by one, I bent down and ripped the living daylights out of each one of those suckers. I gained momentum as I pulled these weeds out for about a block or two until I finally paused and looked back. When I did, my heart sank.
I didn’t see a prestigious road with clean cut lines. What I noticed were the gaping holes left in the aftermath of my unearthing frenzy. The cracks in the curbs and road remained, now littered with dirt clods and severed roots. It opened my eyes to an unprecedented barrenness that caught me completely off guard. Immediately, I wanted to go back in time, to put the weeds back in their place.
You see, in the perspective of the neatness and order of the road, weeds are seen as an eye sore and they are out of place. They just don’t belong and therefore must be removed to order to maintain uniformity. The world avidly tries to sell us on this concept- that we should conform to the same standards. We should have a certain type of job, drive a certain model car, or dress a certain way. We should all fit into one specific mold and when we do, we will be happy.
Richard J. Foster once said that, “superficiality is the curse of our age.” I couldn’t agree more. The world has become so obsessed with appearances and conforming to unattainably high standards that the raw beauty outside of this archetype gets morphed into and repackaged as a weed.
As I gazed behind me to assess the damage I had done, my eye was drawn to one lone survivor. Somehow, this little sprout escaped the bloodbath that was the demise of it’s neighboring weed friends.
Taking a closer look at that little weed allowed me to see the complexity and beauty that it holds. Weeds are relentless. Resilient. They oftentimes thrive in unexpected and unwelcoming places, defying all odds by residing in the cracks and crevasses of parking lots, sidewalks, and roadsides. Their roots embed themselves into the very fiber of the solid foundation and they become immovable, steadfast. They tend form gradually and go virtually unnoticed until they transform overnight into a force to be reckoned with- sturdy and unwavering. When they grow tall, they simply cannot be ignored.
I want to live like a weed. To be unencumbered by obstacles in my way, continuing to thrive when everything around me tells me that I can’t. Resilient and strong, patient and steadfast. This is my prayer for you. That you would not only live a life like this, but to encourage others around you to do the same. Then maybe someday, we’ll be lucky enough to live in a world full of weeds.
This coming October, I have the opportunity of launching with another squad serving as a squad leader. In this position, I will be pouring into and investing in World Racers as my main form of ministry. I am blessed to be able to walk alongside a squad of around 40 young adults for 5 months traveling to 5 different countries and intentionally discipling them.
Like my own trip, I will be raising support for this opportunity. To stay on the field for 5 full months, I will need to raise around $6,500. If you’re interested in supporting me financially as I reenter the field, click on the “Support Me” tab on the left hand side. Thanks!
