My back ached as I pulled weed after weed in my garden. The task seemed insurmountable. Taking a break to stand up straight, I couldn’t help but notice the flourishing black-eyed peas, the vibrant carrot tops, the almost-ready potatoes, the expectant okra, and the ripe berries. But because my mind had been solely focused on those weeds, I almost missed the beauty surrounding me.
Bending back down, my mind drifted back to two separate statements that had been made recently to me. Probably not intended to be put-downs, they still stung. As I ruminated over what those statements must have meant, I realized I was heading down a bitter path.
And I had a choice to make.
I could choose to focus on the weeds or I could choose to focus on the beauty.
You see, I care about my friends and I know that their hearts consist of more than what two flippant statements might have – or might not have – meant. I know the gardens of their hearts consist of more than these couple of weeds but instead are full of vibrant plants.
And I also know that the garden of my heart has its share of weeds as well. I’m grateful for those who choose to look past my weeds and at the harvest that God is slowly cultivating in my life.
So today as my mind inevitably goes back to those statements, I will choose to focus on the beautiful, not on the weeds.
A person’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11 HCSB)
Do you have a tendency to focus on the weeds in others around you or on the beauty they contain? Choose today to overlook the weeds. It will honor God, deepen friendships, and stop bitterness at its ugly root.