I was pulling into my driveway when I noticed it.
I had always wanted to plant flowers in my yard, vegetables even. But I never did because I was afraid I wouldn’t know how and wouldn’t be successful. And so yes, I was super excited to see flowers growing under the bush! They were purple no less, commanding attention, insisting that they be seen by anyone who entered my home. I smiled as I recounted the Alice Walker quote, “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.” And yet, the flowers were softened by just enough yellow– the color of hope, energy, and optimism on the inside. To my pleasant surprise, over the next couple of weeks they began to multiply quickly. Surely seeds from my pansies the previous year had blown, taken root, and were the source of my joy this spring. But summer soon come.
Before I knew it, my bouquet of “pansies” went from one to well, many. And they were more like wild clusters with jagged-edged stems that weren’t…as…pretty. In fact, the leaves on the stems looked like tongues, complaining and threatening to out talk, or overtake the blooms. Turns out they were not pansies, but Johnny Jump Up Violas.
Johnny Jump Up Violas are weeds. More specifically they are weeds that become a serious problem for many growers. Although pretty in appearance on the surface at first, they bring with them root rot and mildew. They don’t allow the flowers around them to grow.
They are a lot like sin. 
From sweet nothings to complaints about everything, from just one time to a habit–sin starts out looking and feeling good. It’s not long, however, before it blindsides any beauty and instead consumes us with its consequences. Satan, the father of lies, reneges on any and all promises, throws our mistakes in our faces and threatens to ruin our lives.
The key is to get to the root.
The root of my sexual sin isn’t the men or even the act. It is the fear of being alone. The root of my overeating isn’t the sweets or the fast food restaurants. It’s the sadness of slowly getting older with a life unfulfilled. The root of me being snippy and doing things begrudgingly isn’t the task a person asks me to do at the last minute, but my desire to be liked and therefore people-pleasing, not honestly communicating how I feel about completing the task in the first place.
As I walk into the house and half-heartedly reach down, one arm filled with groceries, the other cradling my ear to the cell phone, my mind already on what to have for dinner–I can grab at the petals of the violas and discard them, but they will just keep coming back. When I go to the garage, get the weed killer, and don my cute gardening gloves–I can yank on the stems, but they will just keep coming back. It isn’t until I call on the father and son landscaper, who are experts at dealing with the enemy of my garden, and allow them to spiritedly come out and get to the root of the problem–that the weeds are no more.
God has the ability to make dead flowers into potpourri, to give a crown of beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3 NLT). His Son Jesus died and rose again for my sin with all power, and the roots of my sin in His hands. I John 1:9 (KJV) says that if I confess my sin, and truly repent–which means to turn away from it, that God is faithful and promises to forgive and cleanse me of it. He will do the same for you.
If you haven’t already done so, please accept Jesus as your personal Saviour. Allow Him to forgive you of your sins. Don’t be afraid to grow in His grace. Let your thoughts be rooted in His Word and as Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) tells us, may your life bear the fruit of His Spirit. Pray, repeating The Sinner’s Prayer below:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior.
