For those of us who live in South Texas, this is the time of year when those annoying, unsightly, and unwelcome weeds appear. As I was pulling a few recently, I was pleasantly surprised at the ease in which they were coming out. I wondered why this task wasn't as difficult as in most years, and then I remembered that we have had an unusually generous rainfall dating back to last summer. The much- needed rain made the ground soft and moist. As I thought about the process, almost enjoying my easier than expected assignment, I was reminded that in the Christian life also, some pesky weeds appear more often than we would like. They may be the weeds of disobedience, sin, indifference, careless behavior, selfishness, or even an unforgiving spirit. As do the nasty weeds that appear in our garden, these need to be removed as well. I'm sure some of our readers are expert gardeners and could probably show us how we can avoid seeing weeds altogether. I suspect that the method employed in completely eliminating them has a great spiritual application in itself. Yet, in deference to the space allotted for this article, we will focus on dealing with those that have appeared already. Trying to analyze how they got here is not as important now as removing them. Let's assume, dear reader, that a few spiritual weeds have surfaced in your life. Remember how easily a soft and moist soil yields it's weeds? It is the same with our nasty spiritual weeds. The Lord can easily remove them when we have a tender yielding spirit. This is how King David was restored after his awful sin concerning Bathsheba and her husband, Uriah. In his prayer of repentance, David cried out: Create in me a clean heart, O god; and renew a right spirit within me. (Ps 51:10) Even though his sin was heinous, David was confident that the Lord recognized the true repentance in his heart, which led him to add: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Ps 51:17) It is distressing to see people that are unyielding; that never permit anyone to correct or give them advice. The Lord can do wonders with tenderhearted people, but nothing with those who are stubborn and proud. Unrepentant sinners are like bucking broncos. They'll never be much good to anyone until they are broken. Destiny will tell you, as did a notable TV commercial of long ago: "You can pay me now, or you can pay me later." If there is an unconfessed sin or unresolved matter that you have not brought to God, dear reader, I plead with you to do it now. Jesus said: And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. (Mt 23:12) The Lord delights in lifting up those willing souls who have fallen. In 1 Samuel 2:8, we read that the Lord raises the poor out of the dust and the beggar from the pile of ashes. Just as this is the best time of the year to pull weeds, I pray you may recognize that the best time to ask God to pull the spiritual weeds from our heart is now. If the soil of our heart is soft and tender, it is because we have willingly received the beneficial rain, God's Word. Thus, their removal won't be painful.