As a very young child, I remember collecting dandelions from my family’s backyard and presenting them to my mother as a bouquet of what I thought were the most beautiful flowers. She would then proudly display this arrangement on our dining table. My father, on the other hand, would often bring professionally picked and arranged flowers home for her, only for them to be kept in a spot tucked away, though near a statue of the Blessed Mother. Years later, I came home from college one weekend and saw my father’s usual bouquet, still situated out of plain sight by the statue. I smiled and was reminded of the countless bouquets of weeds I gave her as a child, and I asked her why dad’s flowers were never given as prominent of a display as my collections of weeds. Her response was simple, yet profound, and one I still find myself reflecting back on often. She told me, “many years ago, your father and I made a promise to love and honor each other all the days of our lives. But, more importantly, we vowed to keep God in the center of our lives, to turn to Mary in times of need, and to raise our children with these same values.” As much as the flowers from my father were gifts to my mother, she explained how they also were, more importantly, an affirmation of their commitment to keep God central in their lives, not to focus on the pitfalls of marriage-the weeds, if you will, but rather to build a strong union on the love of Jesus Christ-the wheat. She went on to explain how while some may have taken my dandelion bouquets at face value (as simple weeds), she treasured them as a beautiful gifts of wheat-like flowers from a child of God. Mom recognized I was not picking weeds for her, but, instead, spreading a simple act of kindness by presenting her with lovely bouquets.
Her explanation turned into a teachable moment on my random act of kindness giving her the ability to see life’s “weeds” as opportunities to spread God’s love. I
thought, “all this from a little bouquet of weeds!” To this day, I keep that conversation on my mind and close to my heart. When I see what some may deem a “weed”: an addict begging for money to buy alcohol, a relative who turned their back on God and no longer believes, or an impatient person who cut me off while driving, I stop and think about this story.
It is easy to initially look at these situations as burdensome weeds, but it takes just a moment to remember how these are all products of God’s creations who may just need a short conversation, a prayer for conversion, or a little empathy. So, this week, spend your time praying, encouraging, and coaching those “weeds” in your life, because when it comes time to harvest, the weeds will be transformed into a bountiful field of wheat.
