Tend the Garden of Your Heart

Growing up in Florida, I never experienced four distinct seasons. When I migrated north in my late thirties, I quickly realized I did not care for snow, but I was captivated by the daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths that seemed to burst from the ground just as the snow melted. It still fascinates me that, after months of being dormant under the frozen ground, the warmer temperatures cause these bulbs to bloom. Of course, we also know that as the days grow warmer, unwelcome weeds begin to sprout.

It’s nature’s reminder that whatever in buried under the ground comes back in due season.

I have seen this same principle play out in my heart. Whatever I bury there springs forth when things heat up. This includes hurts, fears, ungratefulness, bitterness, and distorted views of myself or of God. If I allow these things to linger in my heart, they produce weeds. These weeds can erupt as unkind words in the heat of the moment. Or they can gradually fill my heart, choking out my joy and the good things God wants to produce in me.

God’s Word warns us, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov. 4:23 ESV)

Often, God uses the world he created to teach us how to follow him. In this case, the principles of tending a garden offer a vivid picture of vigilantly keeping our hearts. Seasoned gardeners know that they need to prepare the soil, plant good seed, nourish their garden and pull unwelcome weeds. Let’s look at how this can apply to our hearts.

Preparing the Soil

We cannot plant in hard soil; therefore, we must not allow our hearts to become hardened. Tilling the soil is arduous labor, and so is keeping our hearts soft. God gives his children a new, soft heart (Ez. 36:26 ESV), but we must work at keeping it soft.

In Mark 8, just after Jesus miraculously fed four thousand with just seven loaves of bread, the disciples embarked on a boat trip, then realized they hadn’t brought enough bread for the journey. “And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?” (Mark 8:17 ESV, emphasis mine).

When we fail to recognize and believe that Jesus provides what we need, our hearts risk becoming hardened. This can look like envy, discontent, fear or anxiety—all indicators that we lack faith in a good God who provides for his children. Trusting God and practicing gratitude keeps the soil of our heart well-tilled.

Planting Seeds

We know the fruit that God desires to grow in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Gal. 5:22-23). The Holy Spirit, promised to all who place their trust in Jesus Ephesians 1:12-14, plants these seeds in our heart. They are gifts for us to cultivate.

We also plant seeds in our hearts. The thoughts we entertain and the content we consume deposits seeds, for better or for worse. Philippians 4:8 encourages us to plant good seeds: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (ESV). These thoughts plant good seeds, maybe even bulbs, producing captivating blooms that radiate God’s glory.

Nourishing the Garden of Your Heart

Keeping our heart, like keeping a garden, requires diligence. Theologian and seminary professor Wayne Grudem says, “Perhaps a great help in keeping your heart is just the old-fashioned disciplines” of the Christian life: Bible reading, private and corporate prayer, worship, obedience to God’s word, caring for the needs of others, sharing Christ with others, giving to the Lord’s work, fellowship with God’s people.”

These “old-fashioned disciplines” are the food and water that nourish the gardens of our hearts. I need to remember this when the busyness of life draws me away from the nourishment I need.

Identifying and Pulling Weed

Finally, we need to stay on top of those pesky weeds! Vigilantly identifying and pulling weeds so that they do not overtake our hearts. But just as my three-year-old grandson finds dandelions appealing, sometimes we fail to see weeds for what they are: sin. In my own heart, weeds can look a lot like idols—good things that are choking out God’s best for me because I have elevated their value.

I can use those same old-fashioned disciplines to identify and remove unwelcome weeds. Reading and meditating on God’s Word helps me recognize sinful weeds. Through prayer, I can seek wisdom to help unearth and remove the roots buried in my heart. In authentic fellowship with God’s people, others can help me spot weeds I might miss.

For His Glory

The beauty of a well-tended garden is captivating and brings joy to others and glory to the gardener. The beauty of a well-tended heart is equally captivating, bringing joy to others and glory to God, our Master Gardener.

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Phil. 1:9-11 ESV)

Ann Skalaski and her husband of thirty-three years live in Gainesville, FL. They have moved a dozen times, raising three children along the way. They have added a son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and two precious grandsons to the mix. When she is not packing or unpacking, Ann enjoys serving as a mentor mom for MOPS International, joining Bible studies, meeting friends for coffee, taking long walks, and watching lots of football. Ann is passionate about using lessons from her journey to help other women navigate change in their own lives.

Photograph © Centers for Disease Control, used with permission