The Kudzu vine was introduced into the US from Japan in 1876 as part of an ornamental plant exhibition in Philadelphia. The Kudzu vine was subsequently promoted by the Federal government during the Great Depression, as a useful way to slow soil erosion. It has since got completely out of hand.
Its roots can grow up to 20 feet long and 5 inches in diameter. Unless the root is killed the plant survives. It can grow 16 inches in a day and as much as 100 feet in a year It spreads so fast that you can actually watch it grow. The vine now covers an estimated two to seven million acres in 13 Southeastern states.
Dr. Jack Tinga, at the University of Georgia, is a leading authority on the kudzu. He has even received calls from Hollywood producers keen to make a horror movie about the vine. Tinga says, “It's no joking matter. If you come across a kudzu, simply drop it and run.”
In Mark, chapter 4 (take a few moments and read it today), the Bible tells us about the sower that went out to sow, and how some areas of ground had plants that choked the life out of God's Word in people's life.
That scenario can be a reality, especially in the lives of busy people during the holiday season. So many folks run around, frantically trying to accomplish things, and find themselves spiritually exhausted because of it.
What's your spiritual "kudzu?" Perhaps you don't have any in your life. If that's true, praise God! If however, you struggle (like I often do), the busyness of life can feel like it's strangling the spiritual breath right out of your daily walk.
The longer I'm on this journey with God, the more I believe that we need His divine help in clearing the soil in our lives, and keeping out the "kudzu."
