By Genevieve Schmitt
With all the rain we’ve had this summer, no doubt you’ve pulled more weeds from your garden than normal. Uprooting these noxious greens is not unlike pulling negative traits that have taken root in your heart and are producing bad fruit in your life. The bucket full of weeds in the photo is a metaphor for the pieces of my personality that I pulled that are no longer serving me. I’ve replaced them with seeds that bear good fruit.
Some of most common weeds found in the garden of our hearts are anger, resentment, blame, shame, guilt, worry, anxiety, insecurity, pride, self-loathing, greed, envy, and jealousy. To begin the uprooting process, note these five characteristics of weeds.
1. Weeds are hard to identify.
They often take on the look of the luscious grass around them. For most of us, the biggest, most vibrant weed in the garden of our heart tends to blend in with its surroundings. Our ego: thinking we’re more important than we are; basing our identity on who the world says we are through things like our job, how much money we make, the size of our house, etc. Yank that ego weed right now—the part that is controlling you—and in its place, plant seeds of humility.
2. Weeds get masked as good intentions.
An example of this “good intention” weed is someone who helps others for the benefit of him or herself. This person thinks she’s doing right by others, but, really, she is only doing good so she can show off that she’s helping others. Above ground, in life, this weed is bright, big, and beautiful. But beneath the surface, this weed has roots of counterfeit selflessness. Pull the weed that attracts you to others for how they make you feel, and for adding another notch on your scorecard. Then plant seeds of self-love, followed by compassion for yourself. Once these fruit-bearing seeds take root and grow, the help you are called to offer will come from a place of surrendered selfless joy.
3. Weeds overtake not intertwine.
We all are called to love one another selflessly, and to have compassion and care for others genuinely. This means our roots touch other roots. We’re not designed to stand alone in this world growing our own roots away from others. Pull the weed of fear that leads to self-preservation and self-protection as well as isolation from the true needs of others. In its place, plant seeds of kindness and empathy.
4. Pulling weeds can cause discomfort.
Uncovering and uprooting the weeds in our heart can cause discomfort as you adjust to life without the trait you’ve gotten used to all this time. That’s why it’s so important to quickly progress to number 5 on my list so we can heal from the “blisters” that may result from this weed upheaval. Anytime we break habits, there is a disruption. But disrupting the bad stuff can have good consequences.
5. Weed holes need to be quickly filled in.
When we pull a weed from our heart, the hole that is left needs to be filled with something good. So, say you’re pulling the weed of gossiping. If you stop calling your friends to talk about others in a gossipy way, you’re now left with extra time. If you don’t fill up that time with fruit-bearing seeds like doing charity work, reading a great self-help book like the Bible—you’ll find yourself getting antsy and filling that time with another weed. When you fill the hole with good behavior patterns, soon the other good characteristics you’ve planted and are watering will begin to help you root out the last bit of weeds that are left as these good seeds spread their roots to begin a new foundation in your heart. The miracle is when you see fruit from places where an old weed was once rooted.
To learn more about the how planting good seed in your life produces a harvest of goodness, read the Gospel of Mark, chapter 4 in the Bible. It’s known as the parable of the sower and the seed and illustrates this article. May God bless you abundantly. If you need prayer, reach out to me via my website below.
Genevieve Schmitt is an award-winning journalist who has covered everything from hard news and Hollywood, to motorcycling and Montana. To read more of her wit and wisdom, sign up for her newsletter at GenevieveSchmitt.com/newsletter-sign-up.