Weeds

I mow my lawn about once a week in the summer. When we moved into our house a few years ago we bought sod. It was so healthy, green and weed free. Slowly, the weeds are creeping in.

My next door neighbor had to dig up his lawn between our houses to put in a french drain. He hasn’t finished landscaping yet and the weeds in his yard have slowly crept into my yard.

On the other side of my house there is an empty lot and also some Riparian land. So, the weeds really love those areas too. My beautiful grass is beginning to get swallowed up by weeds.

So, you probably know where I’m going with this by now. I am reminded when I mow my lawn that I have to be diligent to kill the weeds that try to sneak into my thoughts. They start so small sometimes that I am unaware that they are there until I start feeling anxious, depressed, fearful, not good enough. The tapes begin to play on repeat, “you’re never going to do _______________, you’re never good enough at __________, things are never going to change”.

Those lies can take us out if we aren’t aware of them. But, pay attention to yourself and do a self check in. When you wake up in the morning, before you get out of bed, check in and see if you’re holding any tension anywhere in your body. Is your jaw tight? Are you feeling anxious about the things going on in your day? If you sense any anxiety, take some deep breaths. Try to imagine things going really well, and the tension moving out of your body and peace coming in. Say a prayer, close your eyes for a few minutes and meditate on some of the biggest blessings in your life. Do the same thing before you go to bed. Journal for a few minutes and see what comes up.

Clearing out the weeds in our thoughts takes intentionality but, it’s so worth it. When our thoughts aren’t weighed down and cluttered and shut down, we feel lighter, more hopeful. There’s not much you can’t accomplish if you have hope.