Spring has definitely arrived in the Northeast! Flowers are blooming, trees are budding, and birds are singing so loudly that I can hear them with the windows closed. I love it! Time to start thinking about cleaning up my garden, planting flowers and putting down mulch.
The first garden ever planted was perfect—beautiful, lush and weed-free. We’re told about this garden in Genesis 2:8, “Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden.” It’s the garden we reference as the metaphor for paradise–a place of unscathed beauty, innocence and bliss to which we hope to return.
How is a beautiful flower garden cultivated? It starts with seeds, bulbs or plants, good soil, and takes sunshine, water, plant food, weeding, love and patience. I enjoy planting and watching what I’ve planted grow. I love seeing the array of colors, smelling the fragrances and watching the butterflies land.
But my garden is far from perfect. It has weeds, which are not fun. Some weeds are pretty, but I don’t want them to take over my plantings. There are several options to remove them like digging them up with a gardening tool to get at the root, or applying weed killer for flower beds. Weeds should be removed sooner rather than later because their roots will grow deeper and they’ll spread. Weeds are to be expected and have to be accepting when you have a garden, but some days they feel like a never-ending battle.
Just like a garden has weeds, our lives can have weeds. Our hearts are the gardens of our lives, and our thoughts are the seeds planted therein. What weeds can grow in the garden of our hearts? Complaining, self-pity, blame, shame, guilt, unforgiveness, fear, anxiety, unbelief, negativity, a bad attitude. Like a garden, if the weeds are ignored and take root, it’s harder to get rid of them. First, we have to recognize the weeds that are growing, and work to remove them. Weeding our hearts can some days feel like one step forward and two steps back.
What tools can we use to control the weeds? A gardener needs the right tools, and God has given them to us through His word, prayer and meditation, journaling and reflection, friends and community, and the spirit of perseverance. Like a garden, it takes time, patience, love, nourishment and commitment, but it’s worth it. Flowers are so elegant and delightful, and each has its own meaning. Flowers can symbolize happiness, friendship, love, radiant beauty, joy, long life, wealth and hospitality to name a few. Like a garden, you are beautiful and offer so much.
What do you want the garden of your life to say to others? Remember: your heart can grow anything so how will you cultivate it?
Ah, “The Garden of your Heart” blog topic feels like another grand thought provoking convo… imagining what type of community “gardens” would grow or emerge from soiled ground or mindful thoughts developed or spoken words from our hearts, wonder if we all had adequate time, confidence in skill and choose to seize opportunities to tend to our plant and heart felt “gardens”? how do we embrace and or remove “weeds” safely and effectively? If able how would we experience the sight of the brilliant colored, various shaped soft petals, floral fragrances, maybe even touch the plants, flowers or herbs with our hands, would it continue to create “seeds” of kindness compassion etc from our “garden” hearts? Well, hope gardening goes well for all, it seems that I’ve been resisting letting go of and or tending to the “weeds” stuck in my heart, therefore striving to learn how to muster up courage to ask for garden assistants with intentions to be a better supportive “gardener” teammate. TLG 🌸
Thank you for your thoughts. Yes, some weeds growing in our hearts we resist sometime. With courage and encouragement we can work our the weeds that are hard to let go of.
P.S. I am a beautiful weed. 🐸
Yes, you are beautiful!
YES! The Master Gardener uses our ‘weeds’ to relay His story!
Once again, Marie, you’ve spoken to our hearts because of the Love that grows from yours!
Thank you for your encouraging words. I love the way God speaks to me through nature.
YES! The Master Gardener uses our ‘weeds’ to relay His story!
Marie,
I love this. If you plant as well as you write, your garden must be thought out with lots of ideas and lots of planning. What flowers, colors, shapes and sizes. Which ones are more delicate, which can withstand the sun, and so on.
I want a healthy mind. It takes work; just like a garden. You have to prune it, shape it, use different colors, pulling the weeds out.
For example: smiling, wear bright colors or color or writing use bright colors, when writing use positive language, singing loud can make a soul happy, etc.
When feeling down you have to weed: read the Bible, meditate, pray for others, call someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time, write a letter or send a card.
Always when feeling good or bad PRAISE GOD! then I always feel better.
Blessings❤🙏😊
So true Karyn. Thank you for your thoughts.
Some of those weeds are miss labeled. Those weeds are more beautiful than some flowers. 🐸
You are right some weeds are mislabeled.