Good morning and happy Tuesday. Fall is here and the corn fields are tall. With my job I pass by a lot of these fields. I see them start off as just a bunch of rows of dirt and then the seedlings sprout. From there it doesn't take much time until it's a pretty tall plant. So with this expertise in watching corn fields grow I've noticed something, the weeds that grow in them. When they're young plants and not too tall there are a lot of weeds that sprout up. The farmer sprays em and they're gone for a while and then a few come back. But as the plant becomes more mature, the weeds are fewer. Sounds like a great parable, but what I noticed is this; the weeds are still there just harder to see. The plant is hiding the weed. As we begin to follow Christ and make that decision to do so, we usually have a lot "weeds" with us. His blood wipes them out but being the imperfect beings we are more weeds show up. But as we become more mature in our relationship with God things in us become more apparent. We are either standing out alone in full view so our weeds can be seen or we huddle together so we can hide them among the cover and safety of others. So close no one can see our weeds. We need the comfort and support of others and the community that it brings. But we need desperately to be alone with God and have our weeds sprayed. It's become too easy to just stay comfortable in the fold. Whatever weeds are growing around you today, I pray you will step out into the light of Jesus and let them be taken away. None of us are without them. That's why we need Him, the Great Farmer and Redeemer of our lives. Don't hide the weeds of your life among the tall plants so they are not seen; expose them and let them be removed. In love always. <><