Right now my yard is the color yellow. The creosote bushes are bright yellow and my yard is blanketed with these yellow beauties.
They sure look beautiful. But if you come back and look at these yellow “flowers” in June you will find them dried up, brown, and prickly. They will stand about six inches tall and cause pain when trapped in my socks. They will be cover for snakes and scorpions and require hours of work to remove. This sort of reminds me of temptation in our lives. Oftentimes, what appears beautiful turns out to be ugly and painful later. What may seem like an attractive alternative or choice can cause a lot of damage and take a lot of work to undo.
One good example of this is addiction. Someone I love is dealing with an addiction right now. That person slowly fell into the addiction after going through a stressful time. The alcohol seemed to help her relax and distracted her from her worries. Drinking seemed like an escape. Alcohol became her friend. It seemed attractive and harmless, like our little yellow “flowers.” But given some time, the alcohol turned into a nuisance, a curse, a weed. It choked out the life she had tried to build and it caused her great pain.
This June the weeds will all be removed and my yard will be clean and uncluttered. It will take several people a few days to clear this land of what will be brown and dead plants. They are a lot easier to remove when they are dead. But the weeds in our lives do not require a later date in order to remove them – that clearing can be done at anytime. Also, while there is nothing I can do to prevent these desert plants from appearing in my yard each year, we can minimize many of the weeds in our lives. That starts with exercising common sense and good decision making. Proverbs 14:8 says “The prudent understand where they are going, but fools deceive themselves” (NLT). Know where you are going. Look down the path and discern where it will lead.
If you are already surrounded by weeds, know that there is hope and help for you. Reach out to your family, church, friends, and seek help.
Partnership for A Drug-Free America
About Janice
I too hope that person can clear her life of her weeds!! Good luck on your yard!!
I agree on this. Those weeds really look so nice.
I thought at first those were dandelions. Our yard (I rent) is full of them this year. I need to find a good spray to kill them without hurting the grass….
Anyway – have a wonderful spring!
Tina ‘the book lady’
Weeds will never be gone in ones yard, and making sure they are minimized takes hard work and dedication. I just hope she can do the hard work needed and the dedication to pull her weeds!
What are these weeds called I have 1 acre full of them and I sneeze all day and night
They are called globe camomile or stinknet. Invasive to Arizona.