“Your garden is beautiful,” I told her. “People tell me that,” she replied. “But I think they’re just being nice. When I look at it, I see areas that need more mulch and it’s definitely overdue for a weeding.”
Her front yard was a riot of colour from all the flowers in bloom. The peonies alone were spectacular!
This woman was focusing on a few flaws and missed the colourful display everyone else saw.
I realized that most of us, myself included, do the same with our lives. It is difficult for us to accept a compliment because we are always thinking of our less than perfect aspects. We try desperately to hide the weeds in our lives. “Don’t look too closely,” we think.
Another friend and I had recently had a discussion about the need to celebrate our accomplishments rather than focus on what didn’t go according to plan.
In essence, we tend to neglect the flowers and tend to the weeds. There is something very wrong with this picture.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying to let our weeds grow strong and tall. They need to be kept under control, just not at the expense of enjoying life’s fragrant blooms.
I’ve had a productive couple of days and choose to celebrate by spending time with a cold drink and a good book. What are you doing to cultivate the garden of your life?
Tag: garden
One Weed At A Time
“You have a beautiful yard,” I told my friend. “It must take a lot of time and effort to maintain.”
“I do spend many hours weeding,” Robert admitted. Then he shared a wisdom that is both simple and profound.
“If I look at the entire task, it can be overwhelming. I’ve learned to tackle it one weed at a time.”
One weed at a time. That is a great motto for life! What does this phrase say to you?
Weeds left unattended in a garden will take over and choke out the good plants. In the same way, weeds in my life can also choke out the good things.
It is unrealistic to think I can eliminate all of the weeds, or negative attitudes and behaviours in my life in one fell swoop. I can, however, work on them bit by bit. When I release a grudge I hold, the anger is loosened making it easier to uproot and get rid of it.
By pulling out this weed, peace and forgiveness are able to take root in its place. Every time I choose love and understanding over judgement, another weed is removed.
I am most productive when I focus only on the weed directly in front of me and spend the time necessary to get to the root of the matter. Some require more digging in order to unearth them.
Thanks to Robert’s advice, I will no longer be discouraged by the task in front of me. Instead, I will glance back and appreciate how far I’ve come, one weed at a time.
Growing Together
Most of the carrots in our garden grew side by side. Not these two. They grew together, one wrapping itself around the other.
Two distinct tops were visible above the ground. The roots at the bottom were also separately defined.
At some point during their growth, the shapes were altered as they became entwined and no longer individual. The result is you can’t take them apart without breaking at least one.
There have been times I’ve aligned myself closely to another whom I admired. Subtly my individuality disappeared as I attempted to mold myself into the other person’s shape.
Other times I have been flattered by the attention of someone else and allowed them to grow into my space, altering both of us.
Neither case was healthy. It is not possible to carry on this way without feeling stifled. Unfortunately, the move to separate causes injury or brokenness for one if not both.
Supporting one another does not mean losing the traits that make me who I am. Growing alongside and learning from another while still maintaining independence is what makes me stronger and healthier.
I read a quote that said, “Be yourself before you forget who you really are.” That is advice I plan on taking!
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” Steve Jobs
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” Judy Garland
What Crop Are You Harvesting?
There is nothing like the taste of fresh from the garden produce. I am a carrot lover, so that is one crop I look forward to with great anticipation.
A few days ago we harvested the remaining carrots. It was interesting to see the variety of sizes. The seeds were all sown on the same day, into the same mix of garden soil. They were cared for in exactly the same way. So why were some large and others small?
At first, I wondered if the ones gathered closely together didn’t have enough space to grow as large as the ones with more room. That may be part of it, but then how do I explain a large carrot growing beside a small one? What makes one thrive while another grows slowly?
I wondered if this is true for seeds, is it also true for people? Deep within each of us lies many seeds. We have seeds of potential, of love and kindness; seeds of confidence and self-worth. We also have seeds of disappointment, of anger, of discouragement and low self-esteem.
Some of these seeds grow larger and stronger than others, depending which ones we focus on. Every seed needs proper nourishment to grow and flourish. I can feed the negative ones by focusing on them, or I can make the choice to nourish the positive ones to encourage their growth.
I look at the carrots just in from the garden and wonder, which of the seeds in my life I’m putting my focus on.
When the Bloom Fades – Revised
I apologize for sending this twice today. The gremlins got to the first copy so please delete and enjoy this one instead!
A splash of yellow amid the sea of green leaves caught my attention. “That wasn’t there yesterday,” I thought as I hurried out to the vegetable garden to investigate.
One of our zucchini plants had two large flowers as well as a few buds forming. On closer examination I saw a small zucchini with the dried remains of a flower on the end.
I thought about the showy flowers that would soon wither and fade away. As lovely as the blooms are, they have to die before the plant will produce its crop.
The same holds true for the fruit trees and their blossoms that we look forward to in spring. The petals have to fall in order for summer’s fruit to form.
The analogy to life was not lost on me. There is nothing wrong with promoting or drawing attention to the work I’m doing. After all, I’m pointing others to God and his creation.
There comes a time, however, when I have to die to my ambitions and let Jesus take control of my talents, hopes and dreams. They are all gifts from him anyway.
By thanking Jesus and following his calling on my life, while leaving the outcome entirely up to him, I am putting myself in the background. The fruit produced for his kingdom will be more abundant when he is in charge.
Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. (John 12:24 NIV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galations 5:22-23 NIV)