Avis WooleyMatthew 13: 24-30. “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” KJV
I am a gardener, among other things. I love seeing new life come into being from the seeds that I planted. It brings so much joy to my spirit, and it also serves as my stress reliever. This season, as I started to clear away debris and unwanted plants, I came upon a planter with several plants in it. My first impulse was to pull out everything that I thought were weeds, but the spirit of the Lord reminded me of the scriptures above. You see, I was not quite sure which were good plants and which were bad. I pondered over the matter for a few extra minutes, trying to decide what to do. Ultimately, I decided to let them grow together. That way, when the fullness of time came, I would be sure which to discard.
Growing up in a Christian home, I would hear these scriptures preached in our home church. Let the wheat and the tares grow together, and at the right time, God will do the separating. I thought I had a good understanding of what I heard until I experienced it with the planter. I have beautiful plants potted in that planter, and because I have so many plants, I did not keep up with what was planted where. I acknowledge that when the wind blows, it carries with it particles and seeds. Those can be grass seeds, dandelion, swan plants, etc. I did not know what was growing in my planter.
Some years ago, I mistook a plant for something unique. I had beautiful foliage growing in a large planter. Somewhere along the way, it died, but I was unaware of it. Each day, I would water or fertilize the plants as usual. It was growing nicely. It was not a blossoming plant but a green leafy plant. One day, at work, I bragged on my planters, how beautiful the plants were growing, and that I could not wait until they all came into full maturity. A co-worker wanted to see the plants. When I arrived home, I took a picture of the plants and returned to work the next day, showing them off. That same co-worker looked at the large planter with the big green plant with a strange flower and said to me, “That is no foliage; it is a weed.” I questioned her extensively, and she showed me images of the weed I was nurturing. To my dismay, I became heartbroken because I was caring for something that was not a natural plant.
Sometimes in life, we can not tell the righteous (wheat) from the ungodly (tares). There are false prophets, false teachers, false leaders all around us. They may dress the part of the elect and talk the lingo like the pure in heart. They may even try and speak the heavenly language. When this happens, Christ tells us not to try and uproot the fake because in doing so, we can damage the real thing, the babes in Christ. Christ has not made us judge or juror, but we are great fruit inspectors. Romans 8:16 states, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God…” KJV. Go with what you know and leave the questionable behind.
The plants are still growing in the planter. I will not fret nor be in haste to uproot the suspicious plant. Because in the fullness of time, the real flower will show its true nature. Flowers, blossoming into beautiful flowers full of brilliant colors and pleasant smells. The weed I will then remove and toss into the garbage.
We Christians should not spend so much time trying to prove our righteousness and others’ unrighteousness. We must make sure that we are fully prepared, sealed by his blood until he comes. I want to be a part of the Bride when Christ returns for his followers. Ready to enter the New Heaven and the New Earth. Ready to receive my just reward for the service I gave and the sufferings I endured. I want to see his face and spend eternity with him.
I am looking forward to that glorious day.
Avis D. Brownlee-Wooley
