Prayer, Weeds and Wheat

 

Growing up Southern Baptist I had always heard the parable of the Weeds and Wheat (Matthew 13:24-30) explained as a story Jesus told about who was going to heaven and who was going to hell.  You remember it.  Somebody sowed some weeds among a wheat field while the owner wasn’t looking and when asked if the owner wanted the weeds chopped down the owner replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them.  Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ‘collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

 

Today, while praying morning prayer from the Daily Office, I came across this phrase in the intercessions: Jesus, you were content to let weeds grow among wheat until harvest time; give us the patience to live with our own shortcomings and those of others.  What a wonderful interpretation of that parable!  And it sure hit home.  So often I beat myself up because of my shortcomings.  What good news that in the sunlight of God’s grace I can be patient with my shortcomings (weeds), knowing that there is also good in my life (wheat).  And the hope of the harvest is that I will no longer have to struggle with the weeds, I will be gathered into God’s very self.