Weeds

             Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

“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?’

 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” (Matthew 13:24-30)

The book I’m reading set me off on the “spring” theme and I’m a gardener, so I’m going to camp out on the subject until I find something in the book I’m interested in sharing. This parable applies readily to the question of dreams. We may look at our internal field of dreams and think that anyone we choose is God-blessed and good. We may feel cheated by God when the dream turns into a nightmare or to ashes. But Genesis 3 makes it clear that weeds have been sown by an enemy, whether it’s the garden of Eden or the garden of our minds.

I have two garden beds in which I planted a variety of wildflowers last year. Many plants are growing in them, but I’m reluctant to weed because I’m not sure what’s what. Other garden beds are easy. If it’s not garlic, it doesn’t belong there. To make things worse, the stuff we call “weeds” may be better for us and for the environment than the stuff we consider legitimate plants.

          Another issue with weeds is that they grow over, under, around, and through the plants we want to keep. Pulling them out may damage the roots of the plants we want. Just as the parable suggests, sometimes, it’s wiser to let the weed remain, especially if the garden is a field, or otherwise large.

          So it is with dreams. We need to learn about them, to recognize what sorts are good. We may find something intertwining with our dream that isn’t something we want and may have to let them grow together. Some may seem perfect, like a yard full of nothing but Kentucky Blue Grass, but if they do anything at all, they just make us look good. Others may be ugly, like Broad Leaf  Plantain, but it’ll help heal injuries and illnesses.