It was hotter than it should have been for that day as my daughter and I were evaluating the state of our lawn. We walked hand in hand, barefoot in the tall grass, and I bent down to pull up a weed. Ellie looked at me with an expression of outrage that belied her age.
ABOUT
ANGIE
Angie is the proud wife of Todd Smith of Selah, and the blessed mommy to Abby, Ellie, Kate, Charlotte, and Audrey Caroline, who passed away the day she was born, April 7th, 2008. Angie was inspired...
Thank you for sharing this sweet story, and for writing it down so beautifully. I know it will come back to my mind next time I am pulling weeds with my own daughter. (And perhaps I’ll do a little weeding of my heart at the same time…)
i am pulling the weeds with my grand daughter, she is so sweet, and young, and i want her to grow up to be a great woman. i have many weeds to pull of my own. but along the way, am learning which are weeds, and which is healthy grass.
Thank you for this, Angie. The bitterness that grows alongside those long resident weeds is hard to uproot. But with the love of the Father and the right viewpoint (up close and personal) it can be done. Thank you.
I love this! Thank you. Especially for reminding me that the holes the weeds leave are for Him to fill. And that I don’t have to be afraid or pull the weeks alone. Yes. Thank you.
Wow, Angie, what an incredibly powerful story! You really touched my heart. You are right…it is easy to give up when it is a little harder to pull the weeds of sin out of our lives at first yank…just like the garden weeds…and leave the root…thanks for reminding me to attack the roots! Have a blessed Easter!!
Last night, I watched the screen play based on Oscar Wilde’s play “Mrs. Windermere’s Fan.” It was delightful and dealt with some difficult aspects of human relationships: innocense and the shattering of innocense and selfishness and redemption (turning from selfishness). The movie version is called A GOOD WOMAN. This brought some healing to my mind as I struggle with the ‘weeds’ of broken dreams that have shattered my trust. I am always amazed how God finds just the right thing to help me heal. It is interesting to me how often it is within a story that God speaks to me. When I hear the word sin, I am puzzeled sometimes. It is my experience that none of us can be perfect. I have come to believe that the Christian’s goal is to become. Slowly as we are able to submit to the loving spirit of God we can turn from these harmful behavior traits that block the light in our lives. When people have been deeply hurt, it takes a lot of time for the healing to occur. As we draw closer to His healing light, we can see the pathway more clearly that takes us to a safer, healthier place. And…yes we pull the weeds that chafe as we go letting the love flow more deeply within and without.
Profoundly beautiful! God uses the simplest and lowliest (children and weeds — or vice versa?) to teach us the greatest lessons. Our responding amazement and awe are appropriate, but why are we continually surprised?
Thank you, Angie, thank you.
Great post Angie! I too learned many lessons by pulling the weeds for hours around our property – God spoke softly in love as He always does – reassuring me that as I pull the weeds in my life and give them over to Him – He will renew them with life!
What a wonderful lesson to share with your daughters!
Blessings and love,
Jill
Angie,
What a sweet little girl and a wonderfully reflective story. I am so glad you have illustrated to bring up those weeds from their root and left us with the reminder to stand firm against our sin and turn away.
How easy has it been for me to become complacent–to just ignore those weeds in the first place.
Oh, I’ll get them later…
All to familiar in the heart of a seasoned Christian where I must regain the faith and tenacity of a child.
A doer.
Ginger
Beautiful post. You painted the picture so well I felt like I was right there in the garden with you and your daughter. And it definitely spoke to me about the weeds in my heart. Thank you.
I think I’m at the “wiggle it back and forth” stage in a very deep rooted wicked. But I am finally grasping the stalk instead of pulling at the leaves. That’s something.
Thanks for this, friend.
A wonderful analogy Angie. Far too often I’m content to just get rid of the part that showing, while the roots remain alive and healthy ready to grow back bigger and stronger than before.
Beautifully written too :-)
Beautifully written, Angie, and powerful imagery such that the next time I pull weeds, I’ll remember how the Lord wants to pull out the weeds in me and replace it with something beautiful. I also love how you interacted with Ellie and taught her lovingly; I could soak up those kinds of parenting examples all day!
I see so many parallels between your sweet Ellie, and my son Mcguire. It makes me smile.
I really want you to know what a blessing you are to me, I feel that my “chance” encounter with your blog two years ago, has helped prepare me for the loss of my sweet daughter daughter in January. As Iread your first painful posts after losing your sweet Audrey, I wondered how could someone praise God, when they have lost so much. I understand it now, he is my sustinance and my strength…..Thank you for walking your journey ahead of me, and showing me that God truly does work for the good of those who love him….
Blessings and Love,
Jessica Hanson
Isn’t it wonderfuly how God speaks to us through normal stuff in our lives. I love that He’s a visual God…I learn better that way. And I love the wicked/weed insight from your little one.
This is wonderful, Angie! Beautifully written, and isn’t it like our Lord to use a child’s perspective to teach us a spiritual truth? I have a cartoon on my desk that reminds me of a very similar truth:
It’s not enough to just love the flowers…you also have to hate weeds.
Thanks again so much for sharing!
Liz in CA
Thank you Angie, and at first, I’m ashamed that I was thinking of others, being the weed. I pray God will continue to help me to look only at myself. Only at my sins, my weeds, my faults and help me to become the women he has created. In God’s love, sheila
Wow so beautifully written! I loved it!! Thanks for sharing! You are…a great mom, and wonderful writer! blessings in the Lord!
stop by my blog sometime, love to have you along!
Yes…hope is in our Abba. He fills us with the joy that seeps into all the pores and cells of our being until it radiates on the outside. He heals the hardest places in our hearts. God is love and hope and joy.
I haven’t read your blog in a while and have been catching up today when I saw the link to this blog post! Love it but I see where you posted the line in the second paragraph that says your thoughts drifted and you thought about “what time you need to wake the baby”………. aren’t you still pregnant with Charlotte??? Well, last I saw you should be having her/have had her by now (5/19). Just something I caught and wondered about!
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for sharing this sweet story, and for writing it down so beautifully. I know it will come back to my mind next time I am pulling weeds with my own daughter. (And perhaps I’ll do a little weeding of my heart at the same time…)
i am pulling the weeds with my grand daughter, she is so sweet, and young, and i want her to grow up to be a great woman. i have many weeds to pull of my own. but along the way, am learning which are weeds, and which is healthy grass.
Thank you for this, Angie. The bitterness that grows alongside those long resident weeds is hard to uproot. But with the love of the Father and the right viewpoint (up close and personal) it can be done. Thank you.
I love this! Thank you. Especially for reminding me that the holes the weeds leave are for Him to fill. And that I don’t have to be afraid or pull the weeks alone. Yes. Thank you.
Wow, Angie, what an incredibly powerful story! You really touched my heart. You are right…it is easy to give up when it is a little harder to pull the weeds of sin out of our lives at first yank…just like the garden weeds…and leave the root…thanks for reminding me to attack the roots! Have a blessed Easter!!
Angie, such a perfect story! Thank you for sharing this with us today!
I can not even begin to tell you how totally this was straight from the Lord to me today. Thank you Thank you Thank you for being a vessel.
What beautiful word pictures. I’ve been thinking a lot about weeks and thorns lately and so appreciate your perspective. :)
Last night, I watched the screen play based on Oscar Wilde’s play “Mrs. Windermere’s Fan.” It was delightful and dealt with some difficult aspects of human relationships: innocense and the shattering of innocense and selfishness and redemption (turning from selfishness). The movie version is called A GOOD WOMAN. This brought some healing to my mind as I struggle with the ‘weeds’ of broken dreams that have shattered my trust. I am always amazed how God finds just the right thing to help me heal. It is interesting to me how often it is within a story that God speaks to me. When I hear the word sin, I am puzzeled sometimes. It is my experience that none of us can be perfect. I have come to believe that the Christian’s goal is to become. Slowly as we are able to submit to the loving spirit of God we can turn from these harmful behavior traits that block the light in our lives. When people have been deeply hurt, it takes a lot of time for the healing to occur. As we draw closer to His healing light, we can see the pathway more clearly that takes us to a safer, healthier place. And…yes we pull the weeds that chafe as we go letting the love flow more deeply within and without.
Profoundly beautiful! God uses the simplest and lowliest (children and weeds — or vice versa?) to teach us the greatest lessons. Our responding amazement and awe are appropriate, but why are we continually surprised?
Thank you, Angie, thank you.
POWERFUL stuff…the part about pulling the weeds and not having to do it alone and without fear struck a chord for me in my own life. Thank you. :)
Great post Angie! I too learned many lessons by pulling the weeds for hours around our property – God spoke softly in love as He always does – reassuring me that as I pull the weeds in my life and give them over to Him – He will renew them with life!
What a wonderful lesson to share with your daughters!
Blessings and love,
Jill
Wow – completely awesome story and reminder.
Angie,
What a sweet little girl and a wonderfully reflective story. I am so glad you have illustrated to bring up those weeds from their root and left us with the reminder to stand firm against our sin and turn away.
How easy has it been for me to become complacent–to just ignore those weeds in the first place.
Oh, I’ll get them later…
All to familiar in the heart of a seasoned Christian where I must regain the faith and tenacity of a child.
A doer.
Ginger
Beautiful post. You painted the picture so well I felt like I was right there in the garden with you and your daughter. And it definitely spoke to me about the weeds in my heart. Thank you.
I think I’m at the “wiggle it back and forth” stage in a very deep rooted wicked. But I am finally grasping the stalk instead of pulling at the leaves. That’s something.
Thanks for this, friend.
A wonderful analogy Angie. Far too often I’m content to just get rid of the part that showing, while the roots remain alive and healthy ready to grow back bigger and stronger than before.
Beautifully written too :-)
Beautiful! I felt like I was there with you guys….Great analogy. I need to be pulling some weeds in my life.
Beautifully written, Angie, and powerful imagery such that the next time I pull weeds, I’ll remember how the Lord wants to pull out the weeds in me and replace it with something beautiful. I also love how you interacted with Ellie and taught her lovingly; I could soak up those kinds of parenting examples all day!
I see so many parallels between your sweet Ellie, and my son Mcguire. It makes me smile.
I really want you to know what a blessing you are to me, I feel that my “chance” encounter with your blog two years ago, has helped prepare me for the loss of my sweet daughter daughter in January. As Iread your first painful posts after losing your sweet Audrey, I wondered how could someone praise God, when they have lost so much. I understand it now, he is my sustinance and my strength…..Thank you for walking your journey ahead of me, and showing me that God truly does work for the good of those who love him….
Blessings and Love,
Jessica Hanson
Isn’t it wonderfuly how God speaks to us through normal stuff in our lives. I love that He’s a visual God…I learn better that way. And I love the wicked/weed insight from your little one.
I’m so appreciative for this post today, just what I needed as I do some reflecting in my own life. Thanks for sharing.
This is wonderful, Angie! Beautifully written, and isn’t it like our Lord to use a child’s perspective to teach us a spiritual truth? I have a cartoon on my desk that reminds me of a very similar truth:
It’s not enough to just love the flowers…you also have to hate weeds.
Thanks again so much for sharing!
Liz in CA
Thank you Angie, and at first, I’m ashamed that I was thinking of others, being the weed. I pray God will continue to help me to look only at myself. Only at my sins, my weeds, my faults and help me to become the women he has created. In God’s love, sheila
you are an amazing mother
Wow so beautifully written! I loved it!! Thanks for sharing! You are…a great mom, and wonderful writer! blessings in the Lord!
stop by my blog sometime, love to have you along!
Yes…hope is in our Abba. He fills us with the joy that seeps into all the pores and cells of our being until it radiates on the outside. He heals the hardest places in our hearts. God is love and hope and joy.
Did Todd ask about all the holes in the yard? :)
You have the gift of storytelling. I was mezmerized.
Your beautifully written message truly spoke to my heart this morning. Thank you!
Amazing. I miss you…
glorious post. What a wise old soul that little angel is.
I haven’t read your blog in a while and have been catching up today when I saw the link to this blog post! Love it but I see where you posted the line in the second paragraph that says your thoughts drifted and you thought about “what time you need to wake the baby”………. aren’t you still pregnant with Charlotte??? Well, last I saw you should be having her/have had her by now (5/19). Just something I caught and wondered about!