Faith and cotton

I have a friend I grew up with whose family grows cotton among other things. Recently her family was featured in an article, on a website called 24/7 Cotton (read article here).  I read the article because it featured her family in it.  It was talking about Cotton, crops, yields, weeds and the like. However there was one phrase that stood out to me.

“This past year, we’ve tried to go back and keep everything clean,” says Mike. “We know that it doesn’t take but two weeds in a field to have a mess on your hands the next year. We want to get them out of the field and don’t let them go to seed.”

This speaks to me because it is like the soil of our heart. We can't wait for weeds to go to seed or even  let weeds to grow in our soul. We need to go in, and get those weeds out by hand, by the rood before they spread. Weeding the garden of our heart takes submission to the Master of our hearts, our Lord Jesus. It takes the painful process of letting go of things or giving up things that are not good for us. It means praying and asking Him to shows us any roots of unforgiveness , bitterness, gossip, whatever the weed. One weed, two weeds, they multiply quickly and if they grow uncontrolled the crop of our heart can not bring good crop or high yields.  If we let the Lord get out the weeds and we do the hard work it takes to keep our lives in tune with Him, then not only will the fruit of what the Lord has sewn in us grow it will yield a good and fruitful crop that touches the lives of others for Him.

Lord, help me do the hard work it takes to keep my heart weed free. Let me yield the good fruit that you have called me to yield so that my life can bring glory and honor to your name.

Who new a simple article about cotton farming could have such a deep meaning, but it does.  Think about it, what weeds are in the garden of your heart that you and the Lord Jesus need to weed out before it goes to seed?