Naming the Weeds

Naming the Weeds

There is a story that the Lord is writing with our lives, one that reflects his glory through the dignity he bestows upon us. However, there is another story written through the wounds and pain of the Fall. This story is fed and watered by the enemy of God and of our souls. Both narratives exist within each one of us.

“24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.” Matthew 13:24-26 (ESV).

At a low time in my life, I came across the Parable of the Weeds. I had not remembered hearing much about this particular parable. A personal meaning jumped off the pages of my Bible and into my heart. The parable speaks of a man who sowed good seed in his field and while he was sleeping, the enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. This happens to all of us. The enemy wants nothing more than to cripple us and cause us not to see the truth of who God created us to be and the freedom we have in Christ. In that hard time, I saw the weeds of lies and shame that had held me hostage: you are bad, undeserving, shameful, you have no potential. It felt like the weeds had swallowed my heart. Yet, for the previous 15 years, my faith in the Lord had been growing as well – the wheat! So, both had been had been allowed to grow within for a period of time. We don’t always understand his timing, but it could be that the wheat of God’s truth and time getting close to him was a necessary step before owning and naming the weeds.

We Must Name the Weeds – the Lies and Shame Fertilized by the Enemy

I found my journey of healing began by examining the weeds planted in my heart and mind by the enemy. Naming the weeds and pulling them out was a painful process. It is a huge step to name the narrative of the enemy that I had lived by. As we speak our story, the raw truth of our story, the lies and shame begin to lose their power. This opens space for us to learn more intimately who God is; there is space to learn of his character and deep abiding love. It also opens space for us to explore who he created us to be, to discover the gifts, talents and passions he has placed in our heart. Over time, this journey allowed for God’s truth about me to grow and blossom.

Following this path of naming the story that harmed us and the subsequent false conclusions we came to leads to freedom to walk in the strength and dignity we were created to exhibit.

As you read through the full parable, you see that there comes to be a harvest time. It is a reckoning with the narratives that have run parallel within us. We hear the messages of the weeds speaking lies to us. Yet, in our hearts, the Holy Spirit is living and active, connecting us to our Savior and showing us the story written for us before we were formed in our mother’s womb, as reflected in Jeremiah 1:5 (ESV): “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you”.

How about you, is it harvest time? Is it time to name the story written out of your wounds and fertilized by the enemy in order to root it out? These weeds may have choked out God’s truth about you and about Him. What has buried your strength or squelched your dignity? Is it harvest time for you? Is it time to name the weeds? Is it time to name the lies and shame that have overtaken the wheat? As I picture a wheat field, I imagine gently flowing heads. I picture peace. This is a peace that comes from living in a place of being grounded in God’s truth and walking in the freedom of Christ.

© 2025 Carol Hollandsworth