War of The Weeds
by Denise Sproul

Most of us, I pray, are not such feminists that we would say women should go out on the battlefield, fighting for their country. So how do we women wage war? Are we excluded from everything to do with warfare? When God talks about 'the weapons of our warfare' or 'the gates of Hell not prevailing against us,' does He put a qualifier in those verses to let us know He is only addressing men?

Femininity ought not to be equated with passivity or weakness. That we do not take up arms doesn't mean our arms are weak. This subject has been addressed in past issues of ETC - that our idea of Godly womanhood should not be confused with the Victorian idea of lounging women who frequently suffer from 'the vapors.' That feminists try to make men of women, however, does not mean that we should make children of them, failing to give them credit for and responsibility to understand things, taking care of themselves and their families.

We as women are on the front line of the real war, because we are about the business of training the next generation of soldiers - teaching our children that, "I'm in the Lord's army. Yes sir!" Such training is itself an act of war - a declaration to the world and to the powers of darkness that we will not sit back and let someone else's sinful agenda reign, letting our children be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine that seeks to lead them astray.

As with the endless clothes that need to be washed, this battle never has a cease fire. We actually don't ever truly have a furlough either, since even while we may be on vacation with our families the training does not stop. You don't have your child sass you while you're enjoying a day at the beach and say, "Oh well, that's O.K. We're on vacation."

As we are about the business of tending our gardens, we must remain ever vigilant about beating back the weeds. These weeds, of course, begin in our own hearts, in the form of habits of thinking and doing ( "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." )We must be diligent in thinking biblically; that means we must regularly be reading Scripture. You know the old saying, "Garbage in, garbage out." You can't be faithfully instructing your children in righteousness if you are constantly trying to draw from a dry well.

Many of the weeds in our hearts and lives are second and third generation weeds that are very difficult to eradicate. If we pull them out carefully and firmly, making sure that we get those tenacious, strong roots, we do our children and grandchildren a great service. Imagine if we just left them or only pulled off the ugly top part, neglecting the roots. Our grandchildren would have a very difficult task, trying to uproot six generations worth of bad habits! If we suffer from bitterness or ingratitude or insecurity, we teach those things to our children by example and it continues to get passed down the line. Then it is no longer just a temptation to be worked against, but a very habit and lifestyle.

While we are pulling out the weeds in our own lives, seeking to diligently serve the Lord Christ, we need to simultaneously be turning to the weeds that grow in the hearts of our children. This requires keeping an eye on them, carefully observing their fruit and soil conditions. Also, are any of your plants crowding the others? I'm not suggesting separate bedrooms for everyone; I'm suggesting keeping close tabs on how they treat their siblings and other family members. All of this observation needs to then lead to action- fertilizing with the Word and encouragement to stimulate godly growth. This fertilizing helps make your plants strong so that the weeds are crowded out and you are instilling good habits in your children. It also involves the right exercise of discipline, including the weed whacker!

We have all seen overgrown gardens - where there may well be lovely flowers, but they cannot be seen for all the weeds. I think that is one of my most discouraging times - when I see my outside ('real') garden and know how pretty it could look if I had more time. But then I remind myself that I have inside weeding to do also and God requires me to make time for that. If Erin Claire, at fourteen months, is frequently fussing loudly when Shannon has a toy she suddenly decides she wants, I have some weeding to do in the form of instruction and firm, "No's." I also need to make sure my other children are not encouraging weed growth in her (albeit well-meaning) by giving her another similar toy right away or giving Shannon something else so that
Erin Claire can have the coveted toy. You can't have your children sowing weed seed.

Sometimes others can't see the flowers in our gardens for the weeds. It can be very helpful to ask the master gardeners in your life (not the professionals, but your godly friends whose flowers can frequently be seen) for insight and counsel. They may be able to identify weeds you are unaware of and can help get you started on an eradication program. This is also a good opportunity for you to praise and encourage them for the good cultivating they have done. Most of us find it easy to find fault and not so easy to remember to speak sincere compliments.

To fight with vigor, we must remember what is at stake. This is not a petty war over such things as who will govern the world in the here and now, but over who will rule in eternity. This will have far more impact than mere weapons that can kill the body but will never touch the soul. If we love our little flowers, we will want them to live forever, to beautify the Master's garden into eternity and to enjoy the sunlight of His loving gaze. So press on; nothing matters more.