Behind Every Bush?

Moms are so good at the blame game. Our kids might master the art of blaming others (can’t you hear the echoes of “It wasn’t me!”?); us Moms, on the other hand, seem to master the art of blaming ourselves. I don’t observe this pattern in our roles as wives, friends, or employees – but when it comes to the role of motherhood, we are quick to heap the guilt on ourselves.I recently read a parable in Matthew 13 (verses 24-30). In my Bible, it carries the subtitle of Parable of the Weeds. At first glance it was the familiar, but then I noticed something very specific and very intriguing. The whole parable was to teach the crowd about heaven. Jesus compares heaven to when a field owner plants wheat seed in his field. The only problem is that when enough time passes for some growth to be seen, there is not just wheat growing in the field, but also weeds. Sometimes I feel that way as a mom. I am certain that I planted good seed, but there seems to be other things growing, too… like weeds. The weeds of self-doubt, arrogance, insecurity, or laziness can often emerge in the lives of our children.As Jesus teaches, He reveals what the servants in the parable could not see. While the servants were sleeping, the enemy came and sowed weeds in the midst of the wheat. What stuck out to me was that the enemy presumably came at night and he went away. Early in my walk, I was cautioned not to look for Satan under every bush. We could blame the enemy for everything if we are not careful. How convenient it is to blame the enemy for our own selfishness and sin. With that caution, however, we must also not lose sight that there is a greater battle that we are in, whether we like it or not. The enemy comes to plant weeds and then disappear, leaving us pointing the finger at each other, our God, or ourselves. All the while, the enemy is looking on from a distance and taking joy in our confusion and blaming.As we recently finished the Heaven series at Highpoint, I see this as such a picture of how Jesus wanted us to know that what He planted was good, but we do now live in a fallen world. The enemy came and planted weeds in the midst of what should have been a perfect world. The enemy does not leave his signature on his mess, but instead uses his anonymity to cause us to doubt.For me, I was challenged by this passage to ask two questions of my own life. I urge you to answer them for yourself:1.  Where do you need to make sure that you are not asleep?

•  Where would the enemy want to wreak havoc in your life? •  Where are you most vulnerable? •  Perhaps you need to commit some specific, consistent time to pray over this area.

2.  Is there a recurring struggle that perhaps you are incorrectly blaming on yourself or on others?The field owner in this parable represents God. With all wisdom, the field owner acknowledges the problem but does not rush to make a quick fix. He knows that by uprooting the weeds now they will damage the wheat. May we, too, consult our Heavenly Father for His wisdom on how to safely remove the weeds from our lives.