Salt Leaven and Light

What a blessing it has been to get such an abundance of rain this season, but with the rain comes the weeds. Two days ago, I was stunned to see how the weeds had taken over my front yard. Initially I felt overwhelmed, wondering how I would ever get the weeds under control, but I grabbed a large box and began filling it, one pulled weed at a time.

Pull weed.

Put in box.

Pull weed.

Put in box.

The methodical repetition of pulling one weed at a time allowed me to fill and empty four boxes. When, after a couple hours of work, I looked behind me to see if my yard looked noticably better, I smiled, for the results were breathtaking. My efforts of pulling one weed at a time had made a noticable difference.

I’ve still got work to do. After another emptied box or two, my weeds will be completely gone for now, but they’ll be back. That’s just how weeds work.

Like weeds, we can often feel overwhelmed by the things that need to be done in life: pray, study, minister, worship, repent, forgive, teach, prepare, rest. The list feels as endless as the weeds in my front yard.

My weeding experience taught me that addressing one task at a time in a methodical way can lead to big changes, for “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass” (Alma 37:6).

When I feel bad for not praying regularly, I can stop and say a simple prayer right then and there.

When I have not been studying my scriptures regularly, I can take a minute to read or reflect on one simple verse.

When I feel guilty for not connecting with others and seeking ways to minister, I can choose to make a quick phone call, write a simple note, or send a text.

When listening to podcasts both inspires and overwhelms me, I can choose one simple thing from each podcast to focus on, and slowly work towards completing each mini-goal during the upcoming months.

It’s not about scratching items off our To-Do List, or trying to meet someone else’s standards, it’s about looking back on our lives next year, or in 5 years, or on our death bed, and liking what we see.

It’s about doing the work now, so we can reap the positive results later.

From my experience, the beautiful view that is available after the work has been done is worth every pulled weed and every completed task and goal.

“God cares a lot more about who we are and who we are becoming than about who we once were. He cares that we keep on trying. ” ~ Dale G. Renlund