Better not left unattended

In his early working life my late father worked as a gardener, for a time at Burton Agnes Hall, near Bridlington, East Yorkshire, and later at Bretton Hall (now the home of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park).  I can imagine that for someone like my dad, who loved gardening, it was a delight to work in such beautiful surroundings (and probably very hard work too!)   Although my dad subsequently took a change of career and became a sub-postmaster, he never lost his love of gardening.  There were few things he enjoyed more than being out in the garden.

Sadly, although my sisters seem to have gardening talents, the green finger gene seems to have stopped there.  Perhaps partly because I never seem to have had a great deal of time to devote to being in the garden, I've never really had great success on the gardening front.  I suppose that if I'd been more dedicated to it, my efforts may have turned out better.

Prior to moving to Leicester last August, we had lived in Doncaster for 12 years.  We had a fair size garden there, and to be honest I never really felt that I got on top of it.  Any gardeners reading this will know that gardens need regular attention.  There were occasions when I spent a good deal of time in the garden, and sometimes family or friends would come and help out, but it seemed to be a constant battle to keep it reasonable tidy (I am told that since we moved out of our Doncaster home, the garden has benefited from the attention of a landscape gardener - perhaps not before time!)

Whilst in Doncaster we became very aware of the proliferation of sycamore seeds.  Over the years quite a number planted themselves on our front garden and began to grow in the midst of the beds.  Sue quite regularly told me that I should deal with them before they became unmanageable (sycamore trees can reach to over 100 feet tall).  I must confess that although I did manage to deal with most of the self-seeded sycamores, there were a couple which grew rather tall.  Hopefully the landscape gardeners have now got rid of them!

I was reminded of the sycamores last weekend, when we travelled back to Doncaster to celebrate our granddaughter Beth's first birthday.  Beth and her mum and dad still live in Doncaster; they have recently moved to a new house with a lovely large garden, perfect for a children's party!  The problem with the garden is that it takes a great deal of effort to keep it tidy.  Fortunately our son-in-law Matt's dad goes across regularly to help.  When we arrived, Matt's dad was busy in the garden; I joined in by finishing off mowing the lawn.  Sue then pointed out that the dreaded sycamores were invading their garden, too.  I got some strong secateurs out and dealt with the offending plants there and then!  No doubt they will need watching for when they start growing again.

A weed can be classified as a plant which is not wanted.  The earlier weeds are dealt with, the better, or they can take over.  The longer sycamores seeds are left to grow and develop, the harder they are to get rid of.  It seems to me that there are some things in life which are just like this: things that underneath we know are wrong, but we kid ourselves that they aren't really all that important and can be left alone.  A little white lie can seem so innocent and harmless, but left unattended it can grow into a massive deceit.  We can tell ourselves that we don't need to pay attention to the small 'sin' in our life, but underneath, our conscience is being scarred, and what appears small can grow and grow.  A devastating affair can start with a seemingly innocent smile across a room or an 'accidental' touching of hands; unless dealt with at that very early stage we can find ourselves on a slippery slope from which there seems no escape.

Jesus often used illustrations from the world of nature to teach people about the things of God.  I am sure that the sycamore has something to say to us, and a warning to offer.