Unshackled Moments ~ April 9 ~ Worthless Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

A weed is a plant that is not valued where it is growing,

that often crowds or chokes out desired and cultivated plants and that is unwanted or undesired. This beautiful yellow flower is known as Bitterweed. I stopped yesterday and took this picture after seeing this field completely covered in the lovely yellow blooms. When I see this plant, I think flower. I love them and look forward to them every year. How could something so beautiful be considered a weed.

Well, they may be lovely to look at, but they're not great for farmers. Bitterweed will choke out more desirable plants and grasses. Cattle don't graze on it much, and that's good, because in large quantities, Bitterweed is toxic to cattle. Honey bees will mostly leave this plant alone as well, and when they don't the resulting honey is extremely bitter. So what I see as a beautiful blessing of spring and summer in East Texas is seen by others as not only a weed, but literally a bitter and hated weed.

Often we fall short of seeing the beauty and value of our own lives. We treat ourselves as though we are weeds, undesired and having no value. That's fine with the enemy, because Satan sees us as weeds too. If we are living for God and walking by the power of the Spirit we are of no value and dangerous to his system. We bloom and can be spotted so easily in a way that attracts others. We are not compatible to the ecosystem that Satan tries to maintain. In fact, we're toxic to it, causing the surrounding area to be transformed. He hates that and would like  to mow us down or pull us up by our roots. But God looks at us and smiles. He loves the fragrance and beauty of our blooms. Whether something is a weed or flower is largely determined by it's value and desirability. Whenever we start feeling like worthless weeds, let us remember that God created us flowers.