I’ve referred to gardening plenty of times in past posts because it presents as the perfect illustration for our hearts. It matters how they are nurtured, what they are fed, and what we allow to live there. It’s difficult to distinguish if in that prior sentence I’m talking about gardens or hearts because the same is applicable to both. I understand, without being a master gardener, the importance of taking care of my garden if I want it to remain beautiful and free of any dangerous pests or weeds. Shouldn’t I treat my heart the same way? There is a very troublesome weed that is deeply rooted in many hearts today. It lies dormant when ignored, but the slightest trigger will cause it to sprout before it completely takes over causing untold destruction.
Meet Susan. Susan isn’t the best gardener in the world, but she loves how gorgeous the variety of blooms look. Her garden is always so fragrant and appears to be the best along the road she lives on. One day, since Susan keeps a meticulous eye on her garden, she spots a few weeds. She recognizes them as weeds because it’s not the first time she saw them. Susan does what she always does and trims those weeds away. Now it was back to appearing perfect. Looking at that beautiful picturesque garden of Susan’s, you’d never imagine what was happening beneath the soil because it’s unseen to the natural eye. The same for Susan, which is why she was surprised when she spotted more weeds in her garden some time later. Furthermore, the overall health and appearance of her garden began to fade. There was clearly a problem.
Susan’s problem with her garden is not one that we have not experienced with our daily living. The weed I was referring to that is buried deep in many hearts is actually a double bladed sword of anger and unforgiveness. A mistake that is often made is the misconception between buried and released. Burying something only delays the inevitable sprouting. As much as you attempt to conceal and hide it, that thing gets just as determined to be exposed. Yet, this is what people do in an attempt to get past the things that are anger inducing. They avoid it and hope it goes away. However, that only serves in creating a flash storm of fury later when you’re triggered.
It’s not easy to let go of the feeling of being wronged. When we ignore the true impact of how things make us feel, we’re causing a deeper harm to others as well as ourselves. It’s like trimming those surface weeds but never uprooting them. We just keep getting retriggered over and over again. Getting to the root of the issue is paramount in fully eradicating the issue from our hearts. There is not a one size fits all approach in controlling our emotions. But we for sure need to strive to control rather than be controlled. One sure way of doing that is in not holding on to the things that will cause us emotional harm.
That is why having a prayer life is so essential for me. If you have a close network of friends, then there has probably been one or two occasions that you all have gotten together so that one of you could vent to your heart's content. Perhaps there is even one friend in your circle that checks in with a few drops of logic when the vent is headed down an unproductive path. Even better than such a network is God. Since we know that prayer is a lot more than sprouting off a wish list, slapping an amen on it and then moving on, then we are able to truly spend time conversing with God. With him, you can bare your innermost without fear that someone else will be spreading your business. It’s also important to spend as much time available with an ear that is willing to hear from him, especially if what you need is understanding or clarity.
So when you experience those moments of high emotion, rather than wallow in it or allow it to consume you, take five and talk to God about it. There is much to be learned from thinking before speaking and using that “thought” time to pray is well worth being logical when it comes to next steps.
Stay Sunny!
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