Weeding Lessons

During growing seasons, gardeners and lawn care enthusiasts gather their tools and begin a seemingly futile battle with weeds—those persistent, hardy, deep-rooted plants that grow and flourish when conditions are just right. Just as in a garden, a library collection also requires regular weeding. Weeding, or deaccessioning, is the process of permanently removing an item from a library’s collection. Patrons rely on their libraries to provide them with relevant information and accurate data. Misinformation and outdated material in subjects such as nursing, business, law, and biology may not only be useless but dangerous. Removing books that are no longer helpful makes room for new materials and enhances the library’s reputation. In the same way, we must regularly weed our own lives, removing those practices or habits that may stifle us to make room for personal growth and spiritual development.

Weeding must not be done randomly. There are specific criteria that guide the practice, such as removing books that fall into the following categories:¹

• Poor physical condition;
• Outdated information or superseded knowledge;
  
• Currency/timeliness/relevance (consider technology and religion);
• Low usage;
  
• Multiple copies of books that are no longer in demand;
• Availability of digital access to the book;
• Materials (including books) that support discontinued programs.

Left unattended, a library collection quickly becomes cluttered, outdated, and useless to its patrons. Gardens, lawns, and library collections all benefit from weeding. And so do our characters.

Weeding Lessons

In the biblical account of 2 Kings 22, we encounter the story of King Josiah, a leader who “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left” (vs. 2, NIV).² Josiah was committed to ensuring that the temple's affairs were managed by trustworthy individuals. During the restoration work, a significant discovery was made--the Book of the Law, which had been lost and forgotten. Upon hearing the book read to him, King Josiah was deeply moved, realizing that as a leader, he had failed his people, and collectively, they had violated God’s laws. This realization sparked a transformative journey of self-reflection and change.

Josiah’s response to learning the contents of the Book becomes the catalyst for weeding or permanently removing the symbols and practices of idolatry from Judah. From this response, we can learn five lessons as leaders and educators³: take responsibility, value personal integrity, lead with action, cultivate the fruits of the Spirit, and, ultimately, leave the results to God.

Lesson No. 1 – Take Responsibility
With knowledge comes responsibility. King Josiah’s heart was responsive to what was read in his hearing. Rather than follow the tradition of his grandfather Manasseh and father Amon (2 Kings 21:2, 6), he charted a new course for himself and his nation. Just as a gardener diligently cuts back the weeds and a librarian culls outdated, damaged books from the collection, we must also take responsibility for our personal growth and character development.

Lesson No. 2 – Value Personal Integrity
Personal integrity and example matter. First, Josiah accepted responsibility as king and repented, as evidenced by him tearing his clothes (2 Kings 23:11). Next, his moral awakening compelled him to call all the people together and “He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the LORD” (2 Kings 23:2). Then, he vowed to follow the Lord and to keep God’s commands, regulations, and decrees written in the Book of the Covenant with all his heart. The people respected his leadership and pledged to do the same (2 Kings 23:3). A well-maintained garden and lawn will allow other plants to flourish. A well-maintained library collection will benefit patrons by providing them with up-to-date information. Likewise, our lifestyle should reflect our commitment to God, value living according to biblical principles, and care about how we represent and model Christlike living.

Lesson No. 3 – Lead With Action
Josiah modeled that commitment leads to action (doing what's right). As Josiah started his weeding project (2 Kings 23: 4-20, 24), he acted by doing the following:

• Got rid of all the idols that had been stored in the temple;
• Removed the idolatrous priests;
• Got rid of those who consulted spiritist mediums;
• Destroyed all the household gods and idols;
• Tore down and smashed all the heathen altars his grandfather Manasseh had built;
• Went north to Israel, which had been conquered by Assyria, and destroyed all the idols and temples there, too.

Commitment to a well-kept garden and lawn requires action, as does commitment to library collection management and Christian living. However, taking action requires balance and courage. Some weeds are wildflowers that help sustain the environment; others, though bristly and prickly, provide medicinal qualities and help stabilize the soil.⁴ Knowing what to cut back, remove, or eliminate requires diligence and careful consideration of the outcome and impact on the environment, our communities, and our lives.

Lesson No. 4 – Cultivate Fruits of the Spirit
When we weed and permanently remove certain attitudes and lifestyle practices, we must replace them with the dispositions and practices that are of “good report” (Philippians 4:8, KJV). In the case of Josiah; this meant weeding out things of the flesh: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like (2 Kings 23: 20, 21). In the New Testament, an identical list of vices is recorded in Galatians 5: 19 and 20.

King Josiah replaced these idolatrous and unholy practices with the celebration of the Passover: “Neither in the days of the judges who led Israel nor in the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah had any such Passover been observed” (2 Kings 23:22). The Passover reminded the people of God’s protection, and fostered hope in renewed freedom that comes through obedience and worship of the one true God. Following the list of vices in the New Testament are the fruits of the Spirit, which the apostle Paul invites us to demonstrate when we accept Christ as Lord. The Israelites reinstituted the Passover with the intent to love, obey, and worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In doing so, they replaced their idolatrous practices with the fruits of the Spirit, “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:19-22). 

Lesson 5: Leave the Results to God
Josiah acted under holy conviction during the remainder of his 31 years as king. As leaders and educators, we are called to do the same, even when we do not know the outcome. Sadly, Josiah’s tenure ended, and so did his reforms. Josiah’s renovations and the peoples’ resolutions were temporary in the same way his leadership was interim. The permanent leader was to come. Today, we experience a Holy Spirit-led relationship with the new Josiah, Christ, who is the Restorer and eternal King. As the leader of our lives, Christ offers to “make all things new” (Revelation 21:5, KJV) for us. When we accept His invitation and leave the results to Him, they will be more beautiful than we can imagine.

Prayer

“Lord, Josiah did what was right in your eyes and walked in all the ways of his forefather, David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. Lord, we want to do the same. Make our hearts responsive and humble before You. We want to hear, "‘Well done, good and faithful servant,’” when You return to take your people home. May this be our experience, I pray, with the forgiveness of sin and thankfulness for hearing our prayer, in Jesus' name. Amen.”

Adapted from a devotional shared with the Academic Programs Committee of the Board of Trustees at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, U.S.A., on Monday, March 6, 2023.

Paulette McLean Johnson

Paulette McLean Johnson, EdS, is the Dean of Libraries at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, U. S. A. She earned her Master’s in Library and Information Sciences (MLIS) from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and her Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction from La Sierra University in Riverside, California, U.S.A.