Weed your Garden

The last few weeks have been a series of ups and downs. I am not quite ready to disclose every detail of what is going on, so the following is just what I have learned in the last month or so.

As winter turned to spring, the children and I decided to plant a garden. We ordered garden pots for the back yard and a myriad of fruits, vegetables and flowers. Thus far, we've harvested potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers. We have poppies, morning glories, mums, and a few other flowers that we can't remember the names for. As the days have passed I have found myself asking God for the answer to one question; how are we going to do this? Every day I was left without an answer or so I thought. Each time I asked I found myself outside, looking at the blooms in our small garden. The little patch of beauty was being choked by weeds. I would look at them and say, "I need to weed my garden." I would then return indoors and go about my day or evening. Last night as I questioned my path, I once again found myself looking at my little garden. This time, I grabbed the shears and my gloves and got to work weeding and watering my garden. As I removed patch after patch of overgrown weeds, I realized how many blooms were hidden under the madness. That is when it hit me. The answer to my question of how we are going to get through the next few months. We need to take care of our garden. We need to take out the weeds before they cover the blooms. We need to add good soil and lots of water so that the blooms can be healthy and thrive.
I have pulled the weeds from my garden, I've added good soil and I will water my little patch of beauty every day. I will take joy in the blooms that appear and I will nourish my family with the fruits of my labor.

Now I will apply the same theory to my life. I will remove the weeds from my life. The weeds that cast doubt on my decisions, because what I am doing doesn't fit in with their lives. The weeds that can't see past their own insecurities. The weeds that are always negative.

I will add good soil to my blooms to nourish the positive relationships in my life. I will water the blooms that offer encouragement and advice. I will spend time in my garden with the blossoms that offer support and a safe place to cry. Above all, I will appreciate the beauty of my garden and learn to trust which plant is a weed and which is a flower.

My advice to others is, look around you. If you are surrounded by weeds, pull them. If you are surrounded by flowers, nourish them and appreciate them.