"An enemy has done this."

This past Sunday I was reading Matthew in between calls at work. I was in Matthew 13, reading the parable of the weeds:
    "He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
(Matthew 13:24-30 ESV)
That phrase really stood out to me in this instance. It has burned in my mind for days. Jesus explained it as a parable for the end of the age. But I have been seeing it in another light. Now obviously the wheat represents the believer in Christ. They are growing in the field. But their life does not stay isolated for long. Questions came up to me:
1: What has the enemy done?
He infiltrated. In this stage, weeds and wheat look very similar. They grow close together. They come in where they cannot easily be eliminated without damaging the wheat. In our world, it can look like a believer in Christ, but not completely following everything that the Bible says. It can be an attack on our character. It can be an attack on our marriage. He sneaks in at night to steal, kill, and destroy. He has many weapons at his disposal, and among the toughest is the "coexistence" that wheat and weeds have together.
2: How did the Master react?
Calm assessment and eventual judgment. He didn't burn the field; He didn't panic. He stepped back, saw what happened, and declared the best solution for the problem.
God has seen your situation. He knows that you may be hurting. A loved one may be about to depart this world. One may have just walked out on you. You may be tempted to give up on everything. He has a plan for you in this, though.
3: What is the wheat to do?
Grow. That's all it is asked to do. It is not easy. Weeds have a specific purpose. They steal nutrients from the wheat that prevent it from growing like it is intended to. Some weeds choke life out of plants. Wheat needs to stand (Ephesians 6) in the sun (or Son), soak it in (get engrossed in the Word, in prayer, and with other believers), and GROW. The rest of the Master's plan (eventual judgment) will soon take place.
4: What will happen?
At the end, the weeds will be taken, bound, and thrown in the fire. Weeding can be a difficult thing for the gardener, and can be annoying. But it is rewarding for the gardener when the finished work of the garden is revealed. Jesus tells His disciples when He explains the parable that like when the wheat will be gathered into the barn "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (verse 43). Wheat, when it has grown and is ready for harvest, is a thing of beauty. Golden, amber waves...like when Job said "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold"(Job 23:10 ESV).
Long story short: God knows about the attack. He was not caught off guard. He is not unfeeling; but the situation has not given Him cause for concern. Trust His plan and grow. He will at the right time make all things right.