Weeds

Matthew 13: 29-30  "...'Because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest.'"

These verses come from Jesus' parable of the weeds.  The farmer was careful to sow his seeds in good soil.  Despite his best efforts to keep the field clean, weeds sprang up among the wheat.  When the servants asked him if they should go pull the weeds, he said no.  Let them grow side by side until the harvest.

I think the farmer recognized three points:

1) Weeds are part of farming
The quest for a perfectly weed-free field is an unrealistic one.  Just as we are commanded to be in the world but not of the world, God is not going to separate us from the "weeds" in this world.  He wants us to live among the weeds but not succumb to them.  This is part of the sanctification process.

2) The weeds will be separated in due time
The farmer recognized that there was a time and a manner in which the weeds would be separated from the wheat.  Taking it upon himself to pull the weeds early could damage part of the crop.  Jesus will judge the sinners from the saved in His perfect timing.  Removing sinners from our presence based on our timing and will is taking on a job that is not our's.

3) Even if we remove these weeds, others will sprout up
Weeds seem to come from nowhere.  We can completely rid a garden of the weeds we can see, and there are others under the surface ready to sprout and take their place.  We can drive ourselves mad trying to purify our surroundings.  If it is God's will that we live among the weeds, no amount of effort on our part will change that.

His ways are better than our ways.  Don't be afraid to live among the weeds.  Jesus did, and that is His plan for us, as well.  Let Him decide when the weeds should be pulled.