Can Joy Thrive In the Weeds?

If you tend to a flower, it will bloom, no matter how many weeds surround it.   Matshona Dhliwayo

Joyweed is an odd name for the small white bloom with waxy leaves growing on the shores of south Florida. The two words clash, creating an oxy moron. Joy is a trait we seek in life, while weeds are a nuisance we’d rather live without.

The flower’s name instantly reminded me of the children I met on a mission trip to Barahona, Dominican Republic. Never have I known a more joyful group, and never have I witnessed such dire living conditions. I worked with a group intent on making local drinking water safe. My daughter assisted doctors providing healthcare for people who walked miles for services.

Children romped over the grounds where our crew was based. Active and full of fun, they loved American visitors. Joy spilled from their shining eyes like the moonlight that shimmered across Neiba Bay, off the Caribbean Sea.

Whenever I took a break, a couple of kids crawled onto my lap to try on my sunglasses. Others stood behind me and braided my “yellow” hair. We tossed a dusty ball around. Two grinning boys showed off a new toy. Someone had converted a single serving milk carton into a makeshift vehicle by attaching four plastic twist-off bottle caps to the corners of the carton to serve as wheels. The boys proudly demonstrated how string looped through the top allowed them to pull the car across the dirt lot. Heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.

Weeds are like poverty—invasive and ugly. They can choke life out of all they touch. Yet, here in this place of destitution, joy thrived.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.

James 1:2 NIV

You and I have never faced poverty like the children of Barahona live with every day, but seasons of loss and fear will find us. With God, we can rejoice through trials. Joy is the fruit of a right relationship with Christ and cannot be created by our own efforts.

When we place our faith in Christ, He reveals Himself as a treasure that trumps loss, as a force that thrashes fear. That’s how joy thrives when we’re “in the weeds.”

Jesus, help us realize that trials can and should be met with joy as we are strengthened in the knowledge that You are near.

Weeds are like poverty—invasive and ugly. They can choke life out of all they touch. Yet, here in this place of destitution, joy thrived. #joy #joyweed Share on X

“In the weeds” is an idiom used to describe someone who is overwhelmed with problems or overloaded with work. What helps you maintain joy when you’re in the weeds?