A couple of years ago I noticed some crabgrass in my backyard. I’ve always been diligent to uproot it when it appeared in my front lawn. But for some reason I ignored this little patch that popped up out back. It had emerged in a place that was stressed by relentless hours of sun each day, a spot where the good grass had thinned from the brutal heat and inadequate water. The invader blended in so well that in the busy-ness of life I missed its stealthy advance.
By the time I started paying attention late this summer, half my backyard featured crabgrass! I called a lawn specialist who explained to me that I had been watering in a way that inhibited my lawn’s healthy root development, so the lawn was stressed and thinning. When that happens, weed seeds that couldn’t see the light of day in a thick, flourishing lawn get the chance to germinate and spread rapidly.
We witnessed this progression over just a couple of months with a yard down the street. It started off with only a few weeds but, left unattended, the entire front yard was soon overridden. The owners ended up hiring landscapers to dig it all up and put down mulch and plants instead. In my case, I started the long and laborious process of restoring my lawn this fall, and will have to continue diligently in the spring. It might take a couple of years and significant cost and effort to get it back in shape.
My dad loved little sayings, such as, “A stitch in time saves nine.” Had I paid attention and dug up the first few crabgrass tufts and started watering properly earlier, I would have saved myself a lot of time and money.
The Bible tells us that complacency costs. Solomon, gifted by God with unsurpassed wisdom and powers of observation, wrote:
I passed by the field of the sluggard and by the vineyard of the man lacking sense, and behold, it was completely overgrown with thistles; its surface was covered with nettles and its stone wall was broken down. When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction. “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,” then your poverty will come as a robber and your want like an armed man (Proverbs 24:30-34).
Not only laziness, but also apathy and poor fiscal hygiene can wreak havoc on our finances. Solomon wrote about that, too (Proverbs 2:23-24). Neglect to keep sufficient oil or coolant in your car and you may have to replace the engine. The same principle applies when it comes to more abstract areas of life. Have you ever noticed weeds popping up in your soul? These emerge first as seedling thoughts and feelings but quickly manifest as negative behaviors. Worry weeds, anger eruptions, critical comments, complaints, contention, and pity parties comprise only a few species that might threaten the landscape.
What comes to mind that you’ve been ignoring but you know needs your attention? Ask God for wisdom and act upon it! It will save you much grief in the long run, and you will enjoy the peace that accompanies diligence.
