“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” ~ Proverbs 4:23

Have you ever worked on a farm before or tended to a small garden at the corner of your home? If so, then you probably understand what it means when we say the mind is a flowerbed.

You see, the flowerbed is primarily dependent on the quality of the soil. No matter how well-kept the flowerbed is, if the soil (which is like its foundation) is not rich enough, then the flowerbed will be less effective.

In the context of today’s topic, the soil of our minds is basically the things we feed it from the onset. This is why there is always an emphasis on us reading our Bibles—the Word of God. Doing this helps make the soil of our minds rich with love, grace, the words, instructions, and even the heart of the Father.

Once the soil is tested and found to be rich enough, we then dress our flowerbed and plant flower seeds in it.

In this context, the flower seeds can represent the thoughts we allow into our minds.

In the planting process, there are two things growing side by side. We have the flower, which is germinating from the seed, and then we have the unwanted, un-planted visitor—the weed, which must constantly be uprooted.

No matter how rich the soil is, there will always be weeds growing alongside your beautiful flowers. In the same way, there will always be negative thoughts that seep through your mind, attempting to kill the positive ones that are growing.

When these negative thoughts arise, it is important to uproot them the moment they appear. The effect of not doing so is that, over time, the weeds will kill the flowers that ought to grow and blossom to beautify your surroundings. What you’ll then have is a garden that is un-cared for, a garden that is untidy and un-presentable.

In such an environment, nothing good can be birthed, no beautiful flowers, and no growth.

This illustration gives us the perfect insight into what it means for our minds to be flowerbeds. The seeds we plant are important. Allowing negative thoughts to take root leads to disappointment, failure, lack of growth, and stagnation.

Your mind is a flowerbed, so be careful which seeds you plant.

Prayer: Lord, help me be a gardener who plants positive seeds.