Flower or Foe?
When you think of Southern flowers, you may think of magnolias or azaleas. But one of my favorites is wisteria. A beautiful blooming vine, wisteria's white or lavender blooms drape over gazebos, roadside trees, and abandoned homeplaces all over the South. The scent of the blossoms is sweet and enchanting, and it can be difficult to get close to the flowers without dodging bees, which are also attracted to the pleasant smell. Many people take time to train their wisteria, shaping the woody vines into trees or arches.
Most Southerners either love or hate wisteria. There is no in-between. Me? I'm a wisteria lover! I love the smell, the drape of the vines, and the delicate colors. I even like to hear the bees buzzing around my wisteria-shrouded fence.
My dad is a wisteria hater. He calls it a weed, no matter how pretty it is. He looks past all of that and sees the invasiveness of it. Wisteria multiplies quickly! And its vines are strong. One aggressive little vine can crack concrete foundations, separate bricks from masonry, and strangle trees. If a vine is left on the ground too long, it will sprout, bringing new life to wisteria lovers and more headaches for the haters! I suppose it is good to find balance in our wisteria opinions. If not, my house would be either covered in vines or without wisteria at all.
Wisteria is something beautiful and enjoyable that can become disruptive. Do you know of anything else like that? Of course, you do. We all do. And it may be different things for different people. It could be a food, an activity, or even a person. I love how King Solomon addressed this issue.
Have you found honey? Eat as much as is sufficient for you, lest you eat too much, and vomit it.
Proverbs 25:16
That is pretty clear, I'd say. Honey is good. But eating too much of it can turn your stomach. Wisteria is beautiful, but letting it go wild can cause it to ruin your foundation like a destructive weed. It goes back to the balance I spoke of earlier.
Similarly, being about the Father's work is wonderful, but there must be balance and rest in that, too. When service is done out of love and with the right motives, we can find the feeling almost intoxicating. There is a joy that bubbles up and makes us want to do more. But just like having too much honey or letting wisteria run wild, doing too much can harm us.
First, we need to check our vines. Are we maintaining them, shaping them into something beautiful, or are they pushing into our foundation, cracking the cement and making us unstable? That comes from not paying enough attention to how our service time is affecting us. Are we so stressed about our duties that we are not enjoying the Lord? Jesus told Martha to be careful of that.
Second, what about your friends' vines? Remember the balance from earlier? Friends may need you to help them prune or shape their vines, check their foundations. Do you know someone in your church or community who is always serving? They more than likely enjoy it, and probably even love it. It may be their gifting, but they could still need a break.
This week, look for a servant who needs a respite. Encourage them, speak life over them, maybe even pitch in and help them with their duties. Tell them that they are doing beautiful work, that you see them and appreciate them. And find a way to serve them so that their beautiful flowers don’t turn into weeds.
