Scripture

“To understand the phenomenon of a bad seed is to recognize that we could be someone else’s bad seed.” – Joan Ambu

There’s an old Elm Tree across from our Home which releases white seeds by the hundred during Spring and unfortunately for us, those seeds land in our yard. I often gather them into piles using an outdoor broom and I either use a dustpan or my garden vacuum to collect the seeds before disposing of them. At the end of the day I still have a few more hundred lying around my property. As long as they are non-existent in the area I want, I let the others be. There’s no way I can possibly get rid of them all as their light shape makes it easy for the wind to move them from one location to another. All it takes for those seeds to germinate is a little bit of water as they seem to thrive in any type of soil (I know because I have spent countless hours pulling the seedlings).

The same scenario applies to Weeds. How do you feel about those weeds growing on your property? If you are like me, I bet you don’t like them (at least not all of them). Year after year you weed, you use chemicals and do everything you can think about to get rid of them yet, they keep coming in the numbers. After a while you realize that it’s not about preventing the weeds from growing or your method of weeding which is questionable. It’s about understanding how those seeds end up on your property and how to prevent them from spreading too much since it’s impossible to completely eradicate them.

Dealing with Weeds	Dealing with People
»  Know your geographic area »  Learn about the different types of weeds (to recognize those growing on your property) »  Figure out the weeds you can live with and those you don’t want »  Find ways to control them (fencing, chemicals, hand weeding, etc) »  If you don’t mind the weeds, then just let them be.	→  Be aware of your surroundings →  Learn more about the people around you →  Figure out those who are true to you and those you don’t need around you →  Find ways to maintain peace with everyone →  If you don’t care, simply allow bad energy to free-float around you.

Bad seeds are everywhere and chances are, we are a bad seed in someone else’s life.

Some Characteristics of Bad Seeds:

Answer to no one Is their way or nothing at all Are resentful Have nothing positive to say about others

Play tough and ‘seem’ to have no remorse Erratic behavior when overtaken by guilt Play the victim when hell breaks loose Hope to be forgiven yet withhold forgiveness

The truth about bad seeds is that they can be found everywhere and they are here to stay, just like every other living thing. Their various sizes often make them hard to see and by the time we spot them, they have spread, using their roots to seek out nutrients from other plants, subsequently draining them in the process. Weeds fight for survival, for that last drop of water (not caring about the other plants around them). How does this relate to people? Most of us have become an attention seeking species with a dangerous taste of perfection, which unfortunately, is not of this World. Our quest for self-worth and self-acceptance often cause us to put others down, give ourselves too much credit just to feel superior in comparison (which is self-destructive).

How to Break Free from becoming a bad seed:

Be grateful Live your best life Love, respect yourself and know your limits Identify your personal issues Seek peaceful ways to overcome your weaknesses Recognize that all lives have value Be accountable for your own actions

Respect others regardless They are many solutions to a problem Practice humility, acceptance Release judgment and remove prejudice Find strength and joy in small things Practice the Golden Rule Forgive others

We often withhold forgiveness as a mean of punishment (“If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” ― John 20:23 (NIV)) and often because somewhere in our twisted minds we think we are better than the other person. Withholding forgiveness is simply fatal to our spiritual growth and the pleasure we get from it is just temporary. In the end we are the ones with a heavy load in our heart and on our mind: unable to find peace, happiness, to think straight, to love ourselves and unable to receive the graces of God (“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” ― Matthew 6:14-15 (ESV)).

Forgiving someone is your gift to yourself to be released from bondage, to start healing and experience joy.

“How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself, to make it just and holy.”― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations