I’m writing this with dirt under my fingernails as I have been working in my garden and have not cleaned my hands thoroughly. This is clean dirt, after all, as opposed to dirty dirt. Clean dirt is good. Dirty dirt is not. Auto repair work produces greasy dirt which is the worst of all. Some might be inclined to argue about that. They’re welcome to their opinion.

I planted mint in one of my garden beds years ago with the intention of harvesting produce which I could dry and brew later as tea and, doggone, it worked. Unfortunately, mint is a very aggressive plant and it wasn’t long before it started showing up in places where it was not supposed to be and I’ve spent a considerable amount of time working through this trying to eradicate it. Not good. Tip: If you plant mint, put it in a location which can be mowed around, 100%. Otherwise, you’re asking for trouble.

Anyway, I was out there today digging through it, picking it over, removing all (or as many as I could see) of the roots so as to clean the bed for planting “good” seed. Before this year, I would have simply turned the soil over with a pick, taken out the roots which were visible, and left it as it was, good enough, probably due to lack of time. Since I am now semi-retired and spending most of my days at home, I have time on my hands, so I started sifting it by hand, getting dirt under my fingernails, when all at once, I realized that this is the way God expects me to sort through the soil of my life, identifying and eliminating all the aggressive, invasive parts which, if left alone, will sprout and choke out the blessings of other plants which are desirable.

Mint is potentially good, it is disastrous if uncontrolled, and if even one small bit of root is left in the soil, it will sprout and spread. So it is with the “bad” habits of our lives, our sins, the defects which keep us from attaining the spiritual purity which God demands we strive for. It is relatively easy to dig them out superficially, at the surface level, and some can be conquered that way due to their character, but the deep-rooted ones which do not die because their strength and vitality lies in their root are not easily beaten. Anyone who has struggled to dig out dandelions knows what I am saying. It requires persistent dedication to go back over and over again, without ever being able to relax our vigilance in the battle.

I will spend the rest of my life eradicating sins. Digging out mint roots might not take as long.