gardening 101 :: negative weeds.

{{proverbs 31:26}}

she openeth her mouth with wisdom; and her tongue is

 the law of kindness...

when I settle into my bed at night, the crickets softly chirping outside of window, my cat snuggled against my leg, my soft covers cloaking me - a wonder of how I cannot possibly keep from collapsing into a sweet slumber within minutes of settling down - my thoughts have a habit of unraveling during this quiet time, often keeping me awake for a while. sometimes I read a bit of Preparing to be a Help Meet by Debi Pearl {review coming next month} which has been such a wonderful book to read and perfect for a day's end. just last night I finished the 16th chapter, "The Power of Stinking Thinking." this particular chapter told the story of a woman who married the perfect spouse, but slowly her marriage began to unwind by the destruction of her negative thoughts and words. this really convicted my heart, and I began to reflect on my own life. oh, how it scared me! I thought, " just how many lives am I destroying by my bad attitude, my spiteful thoughts, my negative retorts, or hurtful words?" slowly, slowly I am ruining someone's life, with all these negative attacks. but you know who I hurt the most? Me. this thought echoed in my ear. 

I love gardens dearly. vegetable gardens, rose gardens, herb gardens, flower gardens - I nurture a small fondness for them in my heart. tending gardens are also quite a passion for me, and the results, if tended properly, are beyond satisfying. that is why this year I was ecstatic when I heard that daddy was to build me some raised beds to plant a vegetable garden.daddy and I put in a lot of time and effort preparing the soil this past spring, running to and from the store for fertilizer, plants, bug repellent, etc. and now we are enjoying the bountiful fruits that have been harvested out of my garden because of our hardwork. {just this afternoon I savored a yummy avocado sandwich with basil from the garden :)}. 

a healthy garden thrives with water, sunshine, occasional weeding, fertilizing, and a sprinkling of love. of course, when an occasional weed does start to grow in a garden, it must be plucked. why? because if left untended the weed will choke the life out of the good plants. so goes our minds as well. if we let the seed of contempt enter our mind watering it with bitterness and negative fertilizer soon our thriving garden will be filled with weeds...       

criticizing another's garden doesn't keep the weeds out of your own . . . ~author unknown

   It is human nature to climb on somebody's back if you are drowning. People, especially girls who are frustrated with their lives, have a tendency to want to bring others down. They rationalize to themselves that they are just telling what happened, just being honest, and so forth. This need to bring others down will follow you into your marriage, job, and life, for there will always be those whom you will decide need "telling on." It is a death trap of Satan's. Not their death trap; yours. 

Only when a girl learns to control her need to tear down, when she lets people go unmolested by her "truthful" information, will she begin to grow as a person. Every argument, every misunderstanding, every hurt feeling - every black depression stems from someone "supposing" another meant evil toward them, used them, thought offensively toward them, or whatever else the mind contrives. Imagine being free from all these misapprehensions!  

You can be free.

~ from chapter 16 {pg. 201} of Preparing to be a Help Meet by Debi Pearl 

it's like alcohol. thinking ill or badly of someone who has done you wrong perhaps will make you feel a little bit better but for a short while. then depression and bitterness settles in as it destroys you little by little even if you are unaware of this. but we don't have to fall into this trap. 

{{psalms 30:11}}

thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.

 so will you choose to mope around all day, and thrive on seeing others just as miserable as you or glorify Him who loves you and uplift others through the power of positive thinking? 

{{proverbs 16:3}}

commit thy works unto the Lord, 

and thy thoughts shall be established.

your sister in Christ, 

Grace

*disclaimer :: images via pinterest