I was actually able to capture this rabbit’s photo on a walk one morning. Most rabbits I see are scared by Nico, our Yorkie pup, if you can believe that. Nico is barely as big as a hare! I usually catch glimpses of their bushy tails as they bound into the protection of the woods, quickly leaving their sweet clover snack.
This quote from Rabbit of the Hundred Acre Wood and Winnie the Pooh fame got me thinking about Jesus’ parable in Matthew 13:24-30. A brief re-telling: A person plants good wheat seeds in their field. As the wheat grows, weeds appear among the wheat. “Do we pull the weeds?” Workers ask the sower. “No, we don’t want to confuse wheat for a weed and lose our crop. Let them grow together until harvest at which time we can separate the weeds from the wheat.”
Rabbit’s retelling of Jesus’ story is “weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
I have often confused weeds for wheat and vice versa...until I got to know them. I’ve made assumptions about a person being a weed in the community of faith and over time, realize that they are actually a beautiful flower which helps the community become more Christian, more faithful. Some weeds, we think have to be pulled up, rooted out, rounded up, to make room for the growing wheat, the fruitful crop. Often, I learn more from weedy experiences than flowery ones. Using our eyes and our tastes to discern weeds from wheat is hubris. Taking on the task of separating weeds from wheat is yet another way we practice the original sin—acting as if we know better than God. What if we saw the weedy people and challenges in our lives
as Rabbit sees them—as flowers? What if we let GOD discern between weeds and wheat? Our role may be
to enjoy the weeds and wheat growing together…
Grace and Peace,
Veranita