In 2015 we moved into a new home on three acres. The house was only a few years old and was devoid of any landscaping, which was fine as I welcomed it as a blank palette to create my own paradise. The lawn was made up of almost everything but grass. The soil was sandy and occupied by mostly bahia grass, which is the kind that grows to a height of twelve feet two days after you mow with its signature tassels. Sprinkled heavily throughout the bahia was our favorite … GRASS BURS! They would catch on your shoe laces, or pants cuff and hitch a ride into the house where they would take up residence in the carpet waiting for a bare foot, or hang on until they found the washer where they would then transfer into a towel or underwear to do maximum damage.
The battle lines were drawn. Our enemy earned names like “angry burs” as I plotted their demise. I took great pleasure in mowing them down to size everywhere they reared their ugly, maniacal heads. What a terrible idea! Mowing them only scattered the bur seeds and the formidable villain grew thicker and stronger.
The local lawn specialist recommended chemicals to spray that was guaranteed to get rid of them. My burs, however, seemed to love the treatment and nothing seemed to help. Research declared the best defense is a well established lawn. HA! Wouldn’t that be nice. I planted grass seed, sprayed chemicals and picked burs out of my shorts for the next two summers.
They say desperate times call for desperate measures. I found a product offering called “Sandbur Knockout Combo” which consisted of a pre-emergent solution called Dithiopyr and a post-emergent chemical called MSMA. It was billed as the one-two punch for sandburs. It was not cheap, but I was ready to pay whatever it took if something would work. Early in the year I thoroughly sprayed the Dithiopyr throughout the yard and patiently anticipated the results. When bur sprouting time came around I was thrilled at the reduced number of burs that sprouted. I loaded up the MSMA and spread the second blow with glee. A day later the sprouted burs wilted. I was so happy, relieved, even felt a little like a conquering warrior.
Throughout the summer burs would pop up here and there, but in low enough quantities to pluck up by the roots and threw in the dumpster. I was insistent on not mowing a bur and would dismount the mower each time I saw one. Often I would walk the property pulling up the weeds by hand to keep the seeds from returning to the ground to propagate. I feel confident that next year the bur population will be thin and eventually it will be completely eradicated.
On my last mow, as I kept getting off the mower to keep from mowing over a bur, the Lord opened my eyes to a parallel. Sin is even more ugly, painful and persistent than any bur infested yard. When we first come to Christ we may be thick with stickers. The Holy Spirit provides a knockout punch to the evil that plagues us. We must, however, be vigilant in our Christian walk to not allow a single bur to survive or thrive in any place in our life. One surviving bur of sin will give life to another and another until your life is entangled again. Don’t allow it to live. Do not just mow over it like it will go away. Pull it up by the roots. Cover it with prayer and the Word. As you rid your life of the burs of sin and sow seeds of the grass of God’s Word, your life will become a beautiful lawn, a showcase of what the power of God can do in a life.
Some habits and strongholds in our lives can take a lot of work to overcome. It may even seem hopeless at times. Don’t give up. Don’t give place to the devil. In due time you will be victorious!
Galatians 6:9 “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
