The Lesson of the Liriope

Liriope - better know around here as "Monkey Grass" is one of my favorite plants because it is extremely low maintenance and will practically grow on concrete. As a kid, one of my friends had variegated liriope bordering their driveway and I remember that when we accidentally veered off the pavement and into the monkey grass we didn't get into trouble.

My mother-in-law has endowed me with numerous contributions of liriope from her excess over the years. In our former home, we bordered, sidewalks, flower beds, woodland walkways, and play areas with the stuff. When we moved a few years back, I had hoped to bring some with me, but we literally had no yard when we moved into our current home.

Her son - my brother-in-law - lives near us and spends a lot of time in his yard. He also donates liriope (and day lilies) to me each time he clears our an area of landscaping. So they both feed my habit - and it is something of an addiction - I just can't seem to resist an offer of Monkey Grass.

Anyway, all this is sort of beside the point. Yesterday I was pulling weeds from one of my liriope borders, this particular row has been "high maintenance" over the past couple years. But I noticed that the liriope has grown much more dense and as it has, my weeds are fewer.

Now I have heard this about lawns: a healthy lawn is the best deterrent to weeds because the "good" grass does not allow weeds to grow.

As a Christian, I deal with "weeds" in my own life. These are habits or attitudes or out-and-out sins that hamper my spiritual health as well as my relationship with God and others; and so it is necessary for me to spend time in "weeding" or sin-maintenance.

The lush green liriope seemed to be telling me that an offensive approach might be better than defense; if I will focus more of my time and attention on building my spiritual health - deepening my roots, basking in the light and drinking in all the nourishment I can find - then the "weeds" may not be such a problem.

Oh that I will allow God to so fill me that there would be no voids left for the weeds of sin to take root.