Seeds and plants need nutrients in order to grow. No matter the kind, they each require water, sun, and food to develop. What differs between them is just how much is needed to thrive.
The yard at our prior home consisted of a rich, healthy soil. Anything we put in the ground grew well. But even then, my hybrid tea roses still needed additives to reach perfection.
The soil at our current home is heavy with sand and clay. We joke that only the strong survive. To grow a garden we had to add a special soil mixture to the bed to help nurture the developing seeds.
Weeds, however, can grow just about anywhere. In my yard, in yours. Though unwanted they find a way to establish themselves in even the most inhospitable conditions. Unlike other plants, the weed needs little help to get by.
What is true for the plant world is true for human emotions and, in turn, our thoughts and behaviors. Those that are nourished grow. However, like weeds, the undesirable ones grow readily. The desirable ones require attention and care to flourish.
Negative emotions—like anger, impatience, fear, and doubt—begin with hardy seeds that grow quickly any time and anywhere they find a chance. Healthy emotions—like forgiveness, patience, kindness, and confidence—require more diligence from the gardener to become established and thrive.
The best way to tend either garden is a good dose of a combination weed and feed. Any gardening center will have what you need for your yard but they won’t be much use for your emotions.
Thankfully, God has already provided exactly what we need. Scripture is filled with the power to kill the weeds of unhealthy thoughts and to feed desirable ones. When we apply it regularly, reading and meditating on it often, we gain a bountiful harvest from our garden. But when we fail to use it, we often end up with nothing more than a bed of weeds.
Message for the Journey:
The seed that is nourished is the one that grows. Be it a seed of doubt or a seed of faith, a seed of fear or a seed of courage, a seed of aggression or a seed of peace, whichever one is fed is the one that reproduces in our lives.
©Ann Wilds
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.”
Phil. 4:8
Ann Wilds 