A good reminder

Dear Friends in Christ -
I was uplifted and encouraged by this morning's reading from "Forward Day by Day," so I'm sharing it with you. I hope it lifts and encourages you, too.
Blessings,
Janet+

The meditation is based on Matthew 13:24-30:
He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?” He answered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’
The meditation offered in "Forward Day By Day" . . .
The kingdom of heaven is the rule of God whose name and nature is love. It is the experience of God's love, loving relationships with others, and self acceptance. It exists here and now. But it exists in a world where people estranged from God use and abuse one another. We know moments of wholeness, but we also know horrible loss from violence, illness, and untimely death. We experience reconciliation and healing, but we also suffer from conflict, coercion, and destruction. The kingdom of God exists in a world filled with sinful people. In the words of the parable, it is the wheat in the midst of weeds.
The tendency, especially among religious folk, is to seek a perfect world by getting rid of all the weeds. Even in church the desire by conservative and liberal alike is to be rid of those who oppose them. Imperfect people are a poor instrument for purging the world of evil; they become oppressors themselves. Pulling the weeds also destroys the wheat. We are not to judge because judging destroys ourselves as well as the other.
Let us nurture the rule of God through forgiveness, understanding, loving confrontation, and encouragement. Then the wheat will crowd out the weeds.