Kudzu vines are a species of Japanese leafy vines that were imported to the United States in 1876 and planted throughout the southern states in an effort to stem soil erosion. They performed this job very well. The climate in the South is perfect for the plant and it quickly took hold and spread far and wide. Unfortunately, as good as the Kudzu vine is at preventing soil erosion, it is far more effective at wiping out every other species of plant it encounters. The vines grow quickly, climbing and covering everything they encounter. Consequently, they can easily cover small plants and starve them for sunlight. Even worse, the Kudzu vine can can kill trees by uprooting them with their sheer weight or they cut through bark and strangle the fluids from traveling to the upper parts of the plant. The bigger problem is that once the Kudzu plant takes root, it’s nearly impossible to eliminate completely, and if it’s not completely wiped out it will spread again in time. What was originally planted in an effort to protect the land has moved beyond its original purpose and now destroys crops and forests. I’ve watched all sorts of “Kudzu vines” take root in people’s lives during my years of ministry work. Sometimes they are obvious. A few drinks to unwind after work every day can turn into the Kudzu vine of alcoholism that chokes the life and joy out of everything it comes into contact with. However, there are other Kudzus that are less obvious but no less damaging. Many men turn hard work and the pursuit of success into workaholism, which slowly chokes the life out of their marriages and families. At the core of it, hard work isn’t a bad thing, but it can overtake everything if it’s allowed to get out of control. I’ve known more than a few good people who have allowed an attraction to a co-worker or neighbor to blossom into an affair that wrecks their family or career. They weren’t any better or worse of people than anyone else around them, though in a few cases, they were exceptional people. They simply let a plant take root in their lives and allow it to grow out of control. I’m not excusing the behavior, but rather acknowledging that sin can easily start out as a tiny seed that can quickly grow into something that chokes out the good things in our lives. Jesus acknowledges this reality in the parable of the sower, in which a farmer spreads seeds in a field. Some of the seeds grew well but were soon choked out by the weeds that surround them. He later explains that the seeds were the cares of the world that surround us and choke out God’s light in our lives. I have a good friend that sometimes talks about how people “fall out of the habit” of going to worship God regularly. They let the busyness of their lives push out their efforts to worship God. I often find myself pressed to find time to pray or read the Bible because the various Kudzu vines of obligation begin to creep onto the more important commitments and eventually pull them down. The best way to deal with these sorts of issues is to pay attention and tend to the most important things in life. If anything that ought to be a minor part of life begins to develop deeper roots or stronger influence than it ought to, it should be trimmed back or uprooted. This is difficult, because it involves paying attention and remaining vigilant. We have to recognize that the most important parts of our lives should receive the lion’s share of our attention and resources.
