The Beautiful Day Project
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • FREE Printables

Don't Let the Marigolds Take Over

11/20/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
I grinned at the little green plants scattered over my tiny garden plot. I wouldn’t have to plant marigolds. Seeds from the year before had germinated and grew everywhere. Carefully I weeded around them. The marigolds would ward off bugs from my squash, pumpkin, and tomato plants.
 
Now, as a disclaimer, I am not a very good gardener. Part of this is because I have nearly zero passion for growing anything. If my only two house plants were to die tomorrow I would shrug and toss their shriveled remains in the dumpster. However, I love fresh vegetables. So, the summer vigilance of watering and occasional weeding is incorporated into our lives.
 
It was about mid August when I noticed the squash were not producing that much, the pumpkins had only found space for two round fruits, and my tomatoes were taking a long time to ripen. When I brought it up to my husband he gave me a lot of ribbing. Hadn’t I noticed that the marigolds had taken over the garden?
 
Life is much like gardening. We have to sow seeds. We have to water the good things and weed out the bad. We have to wait to see the fruits of our labor. And, we have to be cautious not to let something that seems good to overshadow and take up all the space in our life.
 
As I tossed bright blooms over my garden fence I considered the marigolds that I have to keep in check in my own life. The first one that came to mind is my protection over my girls. It is important that I care for them, but if I put too strong a bubble over their world, they will be left with little room for growth and relationships with others. Another “marigold” is my writing. I would love to devote oodles of time and resources into this dream, but each time I start to give too much to my books or blog, the happiness of my home falters. And, if I don’t have a happy home, I really don’t have a happy life either.
 
We all have marigolds. I know friends who are good at taking pride in their appearance, which is a totally healthy attitude, but it can start to take up too much time and money. Others might struggle with their personal drive in their careers, developing their homes, or even level of fitness. Even good things can throw the garden of our life out of balance and before we know it there is little fruit to harvest.
 
So, next year, I will be mindful of the marigolds and remember that you can have too much of a good thing. 


The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.
​Psalm 85:12, NIV
​
​Have you ever found that your devotion to one aspect of your life has started to overshadow everything else? What do you do to find balance again? 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe
    Click on the button above to receive newsletters, weekly encouragement
    and a FREE eBook.
    "...and God was already there with me."
    Picture

    The
    ​Beautiful Day Project

    My name is Lora and a few years ago I tumbled into fear, believing that my world would never emerge from the nightmare of uncertainty. However, when I looked up I found beauty in all the little things and God was already there with me​. The joy of having a beautiful day is not in luck, but in resting in my walk with Him.

    ​This is my story.

    Categories

    All
    Body
    Heart
    Home
    Marriage
    Mind
    Soul

    Archives

    July 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • FREE Printables