The Joy Collection
These resources are created to help you recognize where God is at work in your life and discover joy in the middle of your season. Each guide includes Scripture and reflection to help you receive truth, deepen your trust in God, and grow in joy right where you are. Sign up for the newsletter to receive the guide you choose.
The Garden Collection
A place to reflect on what God is growing, pruning, and cultivating in our lives.
Reflections
What’s Growing in Your Garden?
Most of us pay attention to what we can see. We notice the blooms, the fruit, and the visible signs of growth. We celebrate when life is productive and beautiful. Yet every gardener knows that what happens above the soil is only part of the story.
Some seeds are planted intentionally. Others arrive unnoticed. Left untended, weeds can spread quickly, crowding out healthy growth.
A few weeks ago, I noticed a large plant growing in my garden. At first, I wasn’t sure what it was. Small buds had begun to form. The gardener who planted many of the flowers and shrubs stopped by, I asked if it was something he had planted the year before. He said he didn’t know, and said “Let’s wait and see what it becomes”
As weeks passed, the plant grew larger. It spread quickly overshadowing the flowers around it. It had disguised itself as a flower, but it was a weed determined to take over the garden. I pulled it out by its roots.
The thought that immediately comes to mind is:
Not everything that grows belongs.
Every day, seeds are planted through our thoughts, words, experiences, and influences. What we allow to take root will eventually bear fruit. Thoughts become attitudes. Attitudes shape choices. Choices influence the direction of our lives.
Jesus often used gardens, seeds, soil, and fruit to teach spiritual truths. In the Parable of the Sower, He showed that the condition of the soil determines whether the seed will thrive. The same is true in our lives. God’s truth is always powerful, but the condition of our hearts determines how deeply it takes root.
The same thing can happen in our hearts. Some thoughts, habits, attitudes, and desires don’t arrive looking harmful. They appear harmless, productive, or even beautiful.
Over time, though, they begin taking up space that was meant for something else. Every plant draws its nutrients from the soil. Weeds, like thoughts crowd out joy, weaken hope, steal peace, and make it harder to trust God.
This series explores the garden of the heart.
Together we’ll look at the thoughts, habits, attitudes, and beliefs growth beneath the surface. We’ll identify the weeds that threaten to steal joy, learn how to cultivate healthy roots, and discover what it means to flourish in every season.
As you read, consider these questions:
What is growing in the garden of your heart right now?
Is there something that appeared harmless at first but has slowly begun taking up space than it should?
What is nourishing your joy, hope, and trust in God?
Perhaps today is a good day to pause, take a closer look, and ask the Master Gardener what needs to stay and what needs to be pulled.