²⁴ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷ “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

²⁹ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

Dear God, I meet with a good friend from myWacodays every Friday morning via Skype. It has been one of the great blessings in my life over the last several months as I have tried to process some personal struggles. Anyway, one of the things we discussed a few weeks ago was this passage. How did we feel about God leaving the weeds here among us? Did that frustrate us? Does answering this questions also deal with the question so many have about how a loving God can still allow evil in the world.

That is when I had this epiphany: I think you left the weeds here out of respect for us. You didn’t want us to be destroyed among the weeds. Go back to when Abraham was pleading forSodom. He asked if you found just a few righteous left would you not save the city. You said you would. In the end, it came down toLotand his family (although his family’s righteousness might be considered questionable) so you removed them before you destroyed the city. After Noah and the flood you were so grieved by what you had to do that you said you would never destroy the world through a flood again.

So, you allow evil to continue in the world because to remove it would be to harm us in some way. It still doesn’t completely answer the question of why there are things like human trafficking, child molestation, rape, etc., or even hunger, poverty, and painful deaths for some of the righteous. But this parable does let us know that you are thinking about us and you have us in mind when you consider all that you are allowing to happen on earth.

Father, life is complicated. Help me to be at peace with whatever complications are coming my way. I am studying Job right now, and, while he kept from cursing you for his pain, he did question why he had to endure it. So as different stresses and even sufferings come into my life, prepare me to handle them with your grace. Prepare me to handle them the way that Jesus handled his pain in the garden on the night he was betrayed—Father, let this cup pass from me, but not my will but yours be done.