Sometimes things start out good and promising then go terribly wrong. In 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition kudzu was promoted as a forage crop and ornamental plant. Having deep and massive root system, the Japan native seemed an easy way to help prevent soil erosion. So between 1935 and 1950 farmers in the southeastern part of the U.S. were encouraged to plant plenty of kudzu. And they did.

This is where things took a downward turn. It seems the climate in the Southeast is the absolutely perfect environment for kudzu. So much so, it can actually grow 12 inches overnight! It can overtake trees, power lines, cars and even houses if left alone. So then it became a huge nuisance. What’s really scary is instead of killing the kudzu, various pesticides seem to encourage it’s growth.

However in recent years research has found that kudzu can replace corn in ethanol production. Using kudzu instead of corn helps preserve a food supply and since it’s not tied to commodities it won’t mess with the stock market. The once good thing then bad thing is now a good thing.

I think some relationships are kind of like kudzu. They’re usually fun, but can become smothering and overwhelming and then wear you out. But instead of giving up on people, we can choose to look for the good. Because we all can be kudzu at times.

“A friend loves at all times ...”
~Proverbs 17:17