Weeds. I Hate Weeds!
I’ve been ignoring it. I’ve been walking by it. I’ve put it off day after day. But today, I couldn’t close my eyes to it anymore.
Weeds. I hate weeds. Obviously they are a nuisance. They get out of control. They will overtake you. They will drive you insane. What is more irritating is how some of them will trick you to believe that they just might end up as a beautiful bonafide flower. Problem is, you have to wait it out to know for sure.
Weeds. I hate weeds. Now of course I could attack them with a top of the line weed killer spray. Unfortunately, that will also kill off all the flowers you so preciously have cared for that the weeds have so graciously grew up next to. If you want those flowers to last and last, this leaves you no other option but to be proactive to fight every weed that comes near your flowers and tries to choke it to death.
Weeds. I hate weeds. With all of that said, I put on my gardening gloves, grabbed the tallest trash can, and got to work in pulling those weeds. At first I was on the fast track of grabbing every weed that could fit into my hand. As time went on, I started to slow down and really think about how weeds are like the driving force of some very serious issues in our teen’s lives.
Weeds. I hate weeds. Yes, they come out of nowhere. They grow so fast that it often comes as a surprise. The world’s temptations are like those weeds in our kid’s lives. Self-harm, porn, drugs, alcohol, suicidal tendencies, and so much more are like a weeded ivy. They grab at your child and pull them in towards these destructive behaviors and addictions that only seek to destroy.
Weeds. I hate weeds. As parents, we must do everything we can to keep those weeded temptations from overcoming our teen. So how do we do that?
We can make every effort to redirect our teen to cultivate into the good things such as: building their self-esteem, give them mentors that will guide them to find purpose and make better choices, to seek the very thing that encourages them to thrive (hobbies, goals, sports, etc…), and cut off the things that trigger them back into old habits.
Weeds. I hate weeds. We may not be able to control everything in their lives, but there is One who can look over them, protect them, and minister to them with healing. That is Christ Jesus. He can do what we cannot. Our mission is to continue to pray over them, with them, and for them. Let God do the rest.
As you survey your home and comes across some weeds that need to go, use them as a foundational prayer for your child.
Lord, “remove” the temptation to drink alcohol to handle their problems.
Father God, “remove” the friends that are not good for my teen.
Jesus, “remove” the lies that say to my child that being thinner is more beautiful.
Heavenly Father, “remove and kill” the desire to do heroin, cocaine, and marijuana in my teen.
Lord Jesus, “kill” the spirit of needing porn to feel fulfilled in their lives.
Father, “remove” the need to identify with subcultures that are negative.
As you personalize your prayers, you will not only spiritually rid the bad influences that have brought pain and suffering to your broken teen, but you can also pray for God to replace those behaviors that destroy with promises of hope, faith, joy, and grace.
In order for growth to happen in your teen, prayer is essential, along with all of the healthy resources you can add into their life. Just like flowers, you need to add vitamins, good soil, and plenty of water – Mentors of good influence, Therapy/counseling, praying the Word of God over them, and of course, to eliminate the weeds that can entrap your teen again.
Weeds. I hate weeds. I am almost done in my garden. Will the weeds come back? Yes, they will. Just like temptations, they will come again in your teen’s life. Like any good parent, we will be ready to catch any new weeds that pop up so that we can remove immediately through intervention and prayer.
Thank you weeds. I have obtained a very valuable lesson from you. I have learned that I indeed hate weeds. I truly do. 😉