Observing Scripture in My Yard

I was out in my yard today attempting to impose order on a particularly neglected area near the ally. A couple of years ago I'd had big plans for this area including a raised garden using railroad ties and a lot of re-seeding of the grass. I'd invested several days pulling weeds and raking out the soil, sifting through for roots and anything else that I thought shouldn't be there. I probably had 40 sq. feet of beautiful, pristine soil, untainted by any vegetation and ready for the next project phase. Unfortunately, the next phase cost too much to begin right then so I had to wait...and wait. The project was shunted aside for more pressing matters and two and a half years later I was faced with 40 sq. feet of thick weeds.

"How could this be?" I asked myself. "There weren't this many weeds here when I cleaned it out before and it had been neglected for a lot more than two years at that point. There must be at least seven different weeds in this area where I used to have a problem with maybe only one or two!" As soon as the words were out, I realized that my lawn was a living example of Scripture.

"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes out and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first."
-Luke 11:24-26

Now, I am not saying that weeds are evil and have a mind of their own, but do you see the picture? My yard, like the man, was clean and orderly. The problem was that he, like me, failed to fill the empty space. His final condition, however, was much more serious than mine.

A lot of people attempt to "clean up their act" but once they eliminate whatever their perceived problem was, they often fail to add anything back into their lives. A life that is not filled with the presence of God is a life headed for disaster.