Heart Reflections: Full of Weeds
The best part about having a garden is the produce! Whether you have a bountiful vegetable garden or a garden full of beautiful flowers we all know that weeds are eventually going to start poking through the surface! While the fresh veggies, fruit, and flowers provide many benefits they will only continue to thrive if they taken care of which includes pulling a few weeds.
As I was weeding our vegetable garden earlier this week I started thinking about all the delicious food we get to enjoy because we have taken the time to pull weeds. If we were to allow the weeds to take over the garden the precious vegetable plants would eventually stop producing. Weeding the garden is not in my top 10 list of fun things to do with my time, however, for the delicious food it is worth the extra time it takes to weed and maintain it. I am grateful for a garden that we can enjoy and for the abundance that we can share with others!
Later that day while I was working on other tasks my mind drifted back to the time spent weeding in the garden.
- How often does my own life and heart get full of “weeds” (distractions, stuff, schedules, shopping, work, etc…)? It is important that I have some quiet time every day to evaluate my life and refocus on what’s truly important. The time spent “weeding” my heart is valuable and essential. When I don’t take the time to weed through the issues in my heart life tends to weigh me down and fruit becomes less visible, much like in our vegetable garden.
- Does my day go any better when I have a heart that is overgrown with weeds? No, usually I am more stressed because I am trying to do it on my own strength when in reality I have no control over anything. Just having my mind and heart focused on what really matters makes the days more enjoyable. A vegetable garden cannot go days without water during a drought or the plants will stop producing fruit. My heart is the same, if I don’t take time refresh my heart when the drought comes I won’t be able to withstand the heat and will wither under the pressures life throws my way.
- Is my attitude better with a weedy heart? When my heart is overwhelmed with clutter it is much harder to live a life full of joy. A heart that is weeded will receive a fresh wave of energy and will rejoice in every precious day we are given. A garden flourishes when it is weeded, watered, has good soil, and plenty of sun. When your heart is weeded the positive fruits are allowed to grow giving you more opportunities to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
The weeds (busy agendas, work, distractions) are waging a constant battle against your heart much like they are doing in the garden. Take time daily to be still and focus on what’s really important. What is in our hearts will eventually become known. Our actions on the weedy days are not as kind or considerate to the people around us. Do you have weeds that pop up in your garden and heart?
