The prayer garden, mid-spring, full of what we like to call "creepers". Ugh!!! Creepers are tough weeds to get rid of, one of the most challenging to any gardener. I sprayed them and waited, hoping they would succumb to the herbicide I used. Some did and some didn't. I'm still struggling with creepers and past experience with gardening tells me that I will struggle with creepers in this garden for a long time, until little by little I have less and less of them and then they are finally under control but never completely gone. It made me think about sin in my life. Weeds like "creepers" are kind of like sin. Sin can get out of control in our lives especially when the Holy Spirit first points out something that we need to change or work on that we've allowed to go on for awhile. It can feel overwhelming and that first confession and desire to change can make a big difference like my herbicide but it doesn't seem to ever completely get rid of it. Our old sinful nature is pretty determined to keep showing up and my experience with sin is that it takes the determination and persistence to keep pulling that creeper before it gets under control but maybe is never completely gone. Why doesn't God just take our sin away? I think He desires for us to learn how to depend on Him, be persistent, and keep working at being a new creation in Christ with the Holy Spirits help. "Creepers" are annoying and frustrating and sometimes just plain work, kind of like the sin in my life but because of God's grace and love for me I can see improvements and I can see that though I'll never be perfect and the sin in my life may never be completely gone there can be progress!