Mulch

Let's talk about mulch. My husband is a firm believer in the stuff. He thinks it deters weeds from growing and keeps the soil moist. I agree with the second part. But I'm not so sure about the first part. I was pulling weeds out of my flower bed the other day, you know, the one with all the mulch. I've decided mulch really just makes pulling the weeds more difficult because of all the wood in the way. But what I found underneath the mulch was a highly functional society of slimy and disgusting stuff. I found worms (which are good), grub worms (which are bad), roly polys (harmless), slugs (not good) and a myriad of other critters (including spiders!). But what I mostly found were very healthy weeds and weed root systems.

So, the whole time I was weeding and squirming I was thinking about how this is like my heart. For years and years I mulched over the slime and disgusting stuff in my past which only made their roots become more intricate. Occasionally some weed would poke it's ugly little head up and I'd yank it out with a little screaming at some unwitting family member. That also made the roots grow stronger. Before I knew it years had passed and the slugs and grubs were overtaking the roly polys and worms. Until one day the Master Gardener came by with the roundup and cleaned me out real good. This process took Him a a few years but it certainly did the trick. My soil (funny when I first typed that it came out "soul") is now rich with love and joy and peace. Things are growing there now that He planted that I want to water and feed and let the Son shine brightly in on. I see now why I'm not much on mulch. It covers up too much that needs yanking. What are you mulching over in your heart today? Maybe it's time to spade it up and take a good look.