Weeds. The annoying green foliage that grows throughout your beautiful flowers and tomato plants. The foliage that we prepare to stifle even before it has the chance to germinate. The foliage that isn’t wanted, yet somehow still appears.

I’ve spent hours this summer pulling weeds, and they seem to multiply faster than I can pull. I know everyone has a trick for how to get rid of weeds – grass clippings, newspaper, chemicals – but despite every trick, my weeds seem to grow worse than everyone elses’. Yes, I’ll admit I am a rookie at gardening and have been learning as I go, but I feel like I have way more obvious weeds than every other garden I pass by. Or so it seems.

My inept green thumb and time wasted pulling weeds brings me to a metaphor for a deeper life lesson. I definitely feel like I have more “weeds” showing that everyone else. Fears, doubt, imperfections, lack of talent, insecurities, cellulite…junk drawers…[the list could go on but I’ll spare you.] Everyone else I pass by doesn’t seem to have these visible weeds. Or they’ve found the right trick to hiding them so it doesn’t show flaws in their garden where they’ve worked so hard to perfect the presence.

So, what’s the metaphorical lesson here? Is it just me who is more flawed than others? Or do others take time to address their issues more than I do? Or is it that people make the effort to be sure the outside looks pretty so people will think they have it all put together? It may be a little of each, but I’d put my money on the later.

As humans [especially women!] we were created to long to be great, to be desired, to be loved. And if we can adjust our image to attain those things, even if it’s not deliberate, we are so quick to do it. But the covering of “weeds” is not genuine. It’s a false front and it gets in the way of us being able to love and support each other with truth and understanding. We are actually pushing people away from being in community with us because we are trying to attract people to our supposed perfect image. Totally backfiring on us and leaving us all in a pile of hidden weeds and pulling them on our own when no one’s around. Alone.

We are intended for community. We think we are working towards connection with others. But we work ourselves into a place of solitude. And most of the time we don’t even know we are the ones who put ourselves there.

So, what are you going to take away from this summer metaphor? Do you have weeds that you’re willing to have others help you pull and triumph over? Or will you continue to have a perfect garden for people to wave, nod their head, and pass right on by…

End note:

Of course all my blogs represent who I am. Some are heartfelt and some are more practical. From a “weedy” organizational perspective, we are quick to think that other people don’t have junky closets or photo bins. And we are quick to hide our messes when company is coming over. Most women I meet with think they are the only one with a physical or mental mess. But we all have them. They just transpire differently in each household. Be honest and real about your home so you don’t miss out on things that are more important. Believe me, there is always someone who has a messier house than you do. 😉

posted July 2015