When we first moved to Kingston 16 years ago, keeping a nice lawn was a lot easier than it is today. Not that I was good at keeping our lawn looking nice, but it was easier. Now-a-days, with laws that restrict the use of weed killers that actually work, our lawn is no longer the eyesore it once was … it now just blends in with our neighbours’ bad lawns!

The other day I came home from work and looked at all the dandelions on our lawn and did my usual comparison of with our neighbours’ lawns to see if the ratio of dandelions to grass was any greater on our lawn than theirs. All I can say is, I was feeling pretty good about myself that day. Yes, we had those yellow blooms all over our lawn but our neighbours did too. And as I looked at our one neighbour’s lawn, I started to think of what it was like years ago.

When we first moved onto the street, our one neighbour had the nicest lawn on our little cul de sac. In fact, one year he entered his yard in the “Nicest Yards in Kingston” competition. In those days it was impossible to feel good about our lawn because his looked like a golf green. My big worry was that some of our dandelions would blow over onto his lawn. In reality, I shouldn’t have been worried because that neighbour was out there every day, and he would have spotted and removed any dandelion seed before it ever took root.

Things have changed, however. That neighbour moved away and since then we’ve had a couple of different families in that home. What amazed me the other day is how decay can set in so quickly. The lawn that was so nice, now might win the prize on the street for being the worst. As I snapped a couple of pictures the other day, I wondered how this happened. Sure, everyone doesn’t spend a few hours each day on their lawn like our first neighbour did, but how does grass that was so thick and lush get to the stage it is today, where there’s more variety of weeds than actual grass?

The answer, of course, is that constant care is needed to keep the weeds from infesting a lawn. And, you know, the same is true with our lives and sin. If we just live without taking time on a daily basis to meet with God, to read/study His word and pray, sin creeps in without us even realizing it. Without daily care of our spirits, we will not only allow more sin into our lives, we will start to defend them as not being as bad as our neighbour’s. We might even feel good about our sin-filled lives.

Here’s the thing: everything decays without constant attention. Your life is the same and so is your relationship with God. The question I want to keep asking myself is, “What am I doing today to care for my relationship with God?” A little care of my spirit each day will go a long way to keep my spiritual life growing strong and healthy and weed-free.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul