The pink flowers in my garden brought joy to my heart. On the day I planted them, the petals and leaves consumed all the available space. But some time later weeds began to appear, and I was too busy to deal with the problem. By the end of summer, the bed that had once overflowed with colourful flowers was filled with weeds. If only I had maintained the garden and pulled out each weed as it appeared, I would still have an abundance of flowers.

I’ve noticed that this same phenomenon occurs in my spiritual life. When I ignore the worries that invade my mind, they eventually choke my spiritual growth and the beauty and fragrance of Christ disappear from my life. Like the flowers, I do not mature.

As with weeds, the key is to act when each worry arrives on the scene. I can maintain the soil of my heart by meditating on scripture, since its truth is the best tool for weeding out worry. If I look up verses that speak to the issues that worry me and meditate on those passages, I can be prepared when worry invades my mind. The result will be a life that produces a good crop instead of an abundance of weeds.

Prayer: Dear Father, thank you for providing a way to cope with worry. Help us to apply your word daily so you can produce abundant fruit in our lives. Amen