Weeds are Surprisingly Important

A plant is considered a weed partly because it came along and asserted itself without so much as a "by your leave", interfering with the plants that are being cultivated for beauty or food. Persistent, resilient, and with a habit of taking over if left unchecked, weeds are actually doing what the Master Engineer intended.

Credit: Unsplash / James Lee

If you step back and study on it a spell, you'll see that weeds serve a purpose. We prefer it when they serve their purpose somewhere else. They actually anchor the soil so it doesn't all erode away after construction, for one thing. Also, the lowly dandelion is highly nutritious — all of it, so you can cook up some dandelion greens. Some things considered weeds have medicinal value as well. Don't be getting a notion to be eating or medicating with things you don't know, however. 

Remember the post about how the volcanic island of Surtsey and other newcomers are coming along quite well? Some of the first plants to help the ecosystem develop were what we consider weeds. Also, they would have been instrumental in stabilizing growth on Earth after the Genesis Flood. While we don't have to like weeds, we can appreciate the Creator's reasons for making them.

What is a weed? According to Merriam-Webster, a weed is “a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth.” Put simply, weeds are unwanted plants with too much personality.

I have a love-hate relationship with weeds, especially crabgrass. As an avid gardener, this fearless plant was once my sworn enemy. I’m sure it has singlehandedly sabotaged the careers of more than a few horticulturalists. Not many plants can lay siege to a flowerbed or a row of lettuce with such unrelenting tenacity! But careful observation of God’s world reveals that even crabgrass is designed for a purpose.

To read the rest, click on "Why Did God Make Weeds?" You may also want to check out "Plant Disperal After the Genesis Flood".