Occupied
Jesus said, “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” Matthew 12:43-45
I have a fire pit at the back of My yard that hasn’t gotten much use in the last year or so. A stand of bamboo moved in and took over the space. I tried cutting the stalks back to the ground, but it only made the invasion move faster. Since Bamboo spreads through underground runners called rhizomes, Removing the visible part above ground actually backfires by concentrating the growing energy to the mass hiding underground. To reclaim the space, the rhizome network must be ripped out, and it does not give up its ground easily.
I had to dig down into the earth with my fingers, grab hold of the thick, rootlike web and pull. Sometimes a satisfying tug would pull up as much as six feet of rhizome, as if unzipping it from the earth. Sometimes I had to painstakingly remove it inches at a time. I spent a full day ripping out the weeds to reclaim the space.
I emerged soaked and dirty, but satisfied to look around and see open space where the woody grasses had been.
One thing I’ve learned since I started paying attention to plants is that they grow where there is empty space to grow. If I clear a space, something will move in and cover it. Mother nature doesn’t like to be naked. (Neither do kitchen counters apparently, btw.)
Matthew recorded an ominous statement Jesus made to religious leaders who were trying to prevent his work: “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” Matthew 12:43-45
This passage has bothered me. The house was swept clean. Everything was in order. Now it’s a mess again. Something harmful was removed. Now it’s worse. Why try?
Looking at it today, after hours spent ripping out weeds, I wonder if the key word in this passage is “unoccupied.” The evil spirit went roaming around looking for a place to rest. It returned to the house and found it unoccupied. There was empty space available to move in.
If I return my attention to my backyard clearing, the reason the weeds grew in the first place was because the space was unoccupied and neglected. Step one was getting the weeds out. Now there is unoccupied space once again, waiting for something to fill it. Whether that thing is beneficial or harmful is to be determined.
I have choices. Neglect is an option. If I leave the space unoccupied for another year, never gathering friends or family around the firepit for s’mores and conversation, chances are good that next year I will find myself ripping bamboo out again. This will be hard work.
Another option is purposeful care. This will also be hard work, but probably a more beautiful outcome. In my cleared and prepped space, I can plant things that are good, lovely, and fruit-bearing. They can be placed according to an intentional design so that as they grow, they fill the space creating a pleasing and productive environment. I can nurture and care for these plants to keep them thriving. I can consistently use and maintain walking paths and open spaces. I can invite someone I love to enjoy it.
Let me take a short tangent. There is a movement afoot called minimalism. In a hyper-consumerist, performance-obsessed culture that feels too loud, too busy, and too boxed in, minimalism suggests an alternate path. The minimalism movement invites us to clear out clutter and resist the relentless push to do and acquire more and more. This concept has been helpful to me, like pulling weeds. Removing things that clutter my physical and mental space gives me open space to breathe and look around.
Minimalist practice has been life-giving to me; let me not get rid of open spaces!
But today, I am thinking about a difference between open space and the “unoccupied” space Jesus described in Matthew 12:44.
Let me realize that open space invites something to occupy it. If I leave an open space unoccupied and neglected, it doesn’t stay empty. Something nefarious will certainly move in. Alternatively, If I invite goodness into open space, it can be occupied by the breath and life of the Divine. In an open, God-filled space, I can be still and know that God is good.
Let me pay attention to the open spaces, welcome the Spirit of God into them, protect them from what is harmful, and nurture what is good into abundance.
An invitation to consider
- Ask God for eyes to see and a heart to receive what He has for you today.
- Consider your mental, spiritual, and physical space. Draw a mental picture of the garden of your heart as it exists today.
- Are there weeds in your life that need to be removed? Have you been pulling out the visible part of a weed without attending to the underground root?
- Or, is there an empty, unoccupied space? If so, pay attention! This is space that is ready for the Divine if you’ll allow it.
- Imagine the garden of your heart becoming a beautiful, flourishing place. What seeds do you want to plant there for this garden to come to life? Look for them and you will find them. Once you find them, plant them purposefully. Now, attend to them carefully, consistently, with love, believing steadfastly that God will cause them to grow.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.