James 1:14-15 "...but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

I remember being in a Bible study in college and figuring out that the cycle mentioned in James 1 mirrors the cycle of life: conception, birth, life (full-grown), death. As I recall, no one else in the study was as impressed with me as I was, but c'est la vie...

Anyway, Tori was telling me about a book she read called "Battlefield of the Mind for Teens." I haven't read the book, but she said that she got a picture of her mind as being a garden/dirt. Every thought that comes in is a seed and we can choose whether we water the seeds or uproot them.

For some reason, this really clicked in my mind. I could see all the things I allow into my mind and how they grow. If I look at how I ruminate on things, I see how they can create discontent in my life.

Example; I've been thinking about how much I need a new computer. Just picture Markie with this weed of an idea.

1. It gets planted - Markie's current computer freaks out
2. He cultivates it - Markie looks up Macbooks online
3. He takes care of it - Markie figures out how to switch his current applications over to Mac - Woo Hoo!!
4. He makes sure it's protected - Markie convinces himself that this computer is deserved
5. Then it sprouts and starts to grow - He makes plans to get the machine
6. Death - OK, I'm not dead yet, but it has caused strife in my life and damage to some relationships.

Do you see it? Conception, birth, life, death. I'm not reaching too far, am I?

I do this all the time; things get stuck in my head and I dwell on them until they become problems. This week, I'm asking the Master Gardener to help me do some weeding and to show me what to plant.

*©Tori Lindberg