Lessons From My Flower Bed

I don’t know about where you live, but here in western North Carolina, the rain has finally stopped after about ten straight days of cloudy skies and off-and-on showers. Honestly though, I’m not complaining one bit because we desperately needed it. We had been in such a drought that we were around 40 inches below normal rainfall.

Now everything is unbelievably green again. The grass has perked up, my flowers are thriving, and even the weeds seem happier.

Before all this rain came, I had tried pulling weeds out of my flower beds, but the dry ground made it nearly impossible. Every time I tugged on one, all I ended up with was the top part in my hand while the roots stayed buried deep in the hard soil.

Today, I squatted down to try again, and it was completely different. The ground was soft from the rain, and those weeds slid right out—roots and all. Hardly any effort at all.

As I sat there pulling weeds, I couldn’t help but think about how similar that can be to our spiritual lives.

Sometimes we try so hard to remove bad habits, unhealthy thoughts, bitterness, temptations, or things we know don’t belong in our lives. We work and struggle and promise ourselves we’ll do better, but often it feels like we’re only pulling the tops off while the roots stay hidden underneath, still hanging on and continuing to grow.

But spending time with God softens our hearts the same way rain softens dry ground.

The more time we spend in His presence—reading the Bible, praying, listening to sermons, attending church and Bible studies, surrounding ourselves with godly encouragement—the easier it becomes for God to gently pull those things out by the roots.

Change doesn’t usually happen through sheer force or willpower alone. So often, it happens through staying close to the One who transforms us from the inside out.

I’m thankful that God is patient with us, even when some of those roots run deep. And just like the rain brought life and softness back to the ground, His presence has a way of softening hearts that have become dry, tired, or hardened over time.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” 📖 Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV)

May 31, 2026 Morning Brew

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