Suffer no claim of sin or of sickness to grow upon the thought.
~ Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 390
The faithful gardener watches her garden carefully, quick to pull any weeds that sprout and attempt to grow among the treasured plants she expects to bear valuable fruit.
As the dutiful gardener keeps a close eye on what is happening in her garden, we must keep a close eye on what is happening in the garden bed of thought.
If the weeds of mortal mind begin to sprout and grab attention, it’s time to tend to that garden and yank the unwanted intruders out. The sooner the better!
Fear, images of disease, blind anger, selfishness, dread, and their kin, are weeds of mortal mind. Be wise and yank them out. Replace them promptly with healthy ideas coming from divine Mind that keep your thought in a heavenly place.
Allow nothing less than the goodness of God to grow in your thought.
Let your consciousness be a garden bed of spiritual truth producing the fruits of Love. You’ll like the harvest they bring in.
So simple, so clear.
Not always easy,
but we get better
with practice!
I love to memorize and then think about the “lists” of God’s beautiful garden plantings in us. There are many, but three to start with are lists of 9,8, and 7 . There is a list of 9 fruits of the Spirit, 8 things St. Paul told us to think about, and this week, 7 things to add to our garden of faith.
9 fruits of the Spirit: Love, Peace, Joy, Goodness, Patience, Gentleness, Humility, Temperance, Faith
8 things to water and grow, to think about—whatever is True, Just, Honest, Pure, Lovely, Of Good Report, Virtue, Praise. (If the slightest amount, cherish them in you and others)
7 things to add to Garden of Faith: Virtue, Knowledge, Temperance, Patience, Godliness, Brotherly Kindness, Charity.
Happy Gardening!
Thanks Kay for the list of plantings to keep in our thoughts each day!
Thanks Kay, these lists are a great reminder of where our thoughts need to be channeled to stay in line with Truth.
Especially glad you mentioned the 8 things Paul told us to think about, here is the full verse:
Philippians 4:8 (King James Version)
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
I love this, Kay! Thank you for sharing it.
Dear Kay, love that list! Thx 4 highlighting it!! Double hugz, Katherine.
Oh, I love this message and graphic this morning!! It touches my heart, as do
the flowers that the Master Gardener (GOD) has created.
It has been shared here before, but just wanted to share again, this, most
beautiful hymn #3,
“A grateful heart a garden is, Where there is always room
For every lovely Godlike grace To come to perfect bloom.
A grateful heart a fortress is, A stanch and rugged tower,
Where God’s omnipotence, revealed, Girds man with mighty power.
A grateful heart a temple is, A shrine so pure and white,
Where angels of His presence keep Calm watch by day or night.
Grant then, dear Father-Mother, God, Whatever else befall,
This largess of a grateful heart That loves and blesses all.
So much Good will be growing in our garden of thought today!
And Kay, I love the lists you shared. Thank you!
Oh thank you, Evan
Thank you, Kay!
Today’s SpiritView has really lifted my heart.
Im trying to cultivate Patience in my garden
Job came to mind, whose faithfulness and trust never waivered. I am trying to Trust
To Trust the Eternal, and to really KNOW that
Our Comforter is with us
We have a glorious garden !
I’m so grateful for SpiritView and my beloved brothers and sisters who share their beautiful ideas so lovingly .
Love this…thank you Evan and all
Thank you Evan for sharing your inspiration and to all the thoughts of everyone. I am new to this site, and I look forward to reading it each morning!
A very warm welcome to you Charli! 🙂
So many wonderful posts today of God’s planting! Thank you Kay, I am working on my garden now adding some new and weeding out some that do not belong!
Thank you Evan.
Thanks Evan for the SV today! Thanks to all the posts from everyone. Thanks Carol for the Hymn reminder and to Kay for her post , 9 Fruits of the Spirit; 8 things to Water and grow, and 7 things to add to the Garden of Faith. I have gained much from all the posts today. How uplifting.
Blessings to All
Suzie H
Thank you, Suzie. Some other flowers of beauty – in words:
“The earth laughs in flowers” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change” –
“Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later”
“Gardening is the slowest of the performing arts”. – Authors Unknown
Such a beautiful garden of Love -filled
ideas. Thank you Evan and Kay and all!
❤️
Thank you for this reminder! I was actually thinking of it this morning when I double checked to make sure my cell phone was handy. I’ve been around a long time, live alone, and my daughter worries about my safety. I realized two things as I reached for the phone; one, that I couldn’t take on that fear as mine (keeping my garden weed-free), and two, that calling on God was faster and more accessible than any cell phone! Thank you again, Evan, for reminding us all!
Thank you, Evan, for today’s SpiritView. Thank you, Kay for sharing the 3 lists. I use them frequently and it will be great having all of them in one place. Thank you Carol for sharing my favorite hymn. When I come to the Garden gratitude is a first priority.
Today was the first day in a few weeks I have been able to get out to my garden. I saw the cloud of beautiful white irises from a distance and rejoiced in them earlier. Now some lilies have bloomed but are starting to shed petals. More will come later. The grass (that I consider a weed since it is growing where I don’t want it) has been doing wonderfully, especially where I had planted some flower seeds. I can’t tell yet if the flowers are growing. While I was able to pull a lot of grass heads that were seeding, there is a lot to do yet. However, not giving up and keeping my thoughts on the right path continually will accomplish what needs to be done. I had planted radishes, beets, carrots, flowers and summer squash in a 3×4 raised bed but was not able to get out to thin them. We enjoyed some radishes but now the squash plants have beautifully taken over the rest of the bed with flowers and leaves and some squash is forming. I don’t have the heart to cut back those beautiful plants and will have to enjoy beets and carrots another time. I am just grateful for God’s bountiful harvest and beauty and for the opportunity to be out and do what I can to provide order to the space.
From Miscellaneous Writings page 343. “Warmed by the sunshine of Truth, watered by the heavenly dews of Love, the fruits of Christian Science spring upward, and away from sordid self and matter. Are we clearing the gardens of thought by uprooting the noxious weeds of passion, malice, envy, and strife? Are we picking away the cold, hard pebbles of selfishness, uncovering the secrets of sin and burnishing anew the hidden gems of Love, that their pure perfection shall appear? Are we feeling the vernal freshness and sunshine of enlightened faith?
The weeds of mortal mind are not always destroyed by the first uprooting; they reappear, like devasting witch-grass, to choke the comig clover. O stupid gardener! watch their reappearing, and tear them away from the native soil, until no seedling be left to propagate– and rot.
“Cultivating our spiritual garden” by Anna Bowness-Park (From the May 2010 issue of The Christian Science Journal)…if anyone is interested in attaching a link that can be accessed by all.
Here’s the link to the article you mentioned, J. Hopefully others return as I did
https://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/w018rrneu8?s=copylink
I was just praying about my garden this morning. All the qualities of God it expresses. I’ve been having physical difficulties which make it hard to tend to the garden, so making it a spiritual activity has got to help. I especially like Life. Now, who needs tomatoes?!
Thank you very much, dear Evan, for the admonition to allow only the Goodness of God to grow in thought, although an erronious happening seemingly occured.
I was unhappy with this incident. But when I was home in the quietness praying about it, I was aware that God was there. Everybody involved where so kind and helpful that now I would say that “God’s kingdom has come, God is everpresent” (see our Lords Prayer, Mrs. Eddy’s Interpretation).
I am grateful for the loving awakening us this SpiritView blog does!♡
I love reading these garden harvests of thought. It is amazing how fast weeds tend
to grow, even when we think we’ve eradicated them. But sometimes the saying,
“May all your weeds be wildflowers” helps as some native so-called weeds Are
beautiful flowers and some are advantageous to birds, beneficial bugs, butterflies –
like milkweed, wild blackberries, etc. .. looking at the positive side.
Of course, the main theme is getting rid of erroneous beliefs, which is not conducive
to our spiritual gardens/thoughts and letting the Truth thrive. Another way of looking
at it is – “But a weed is simply a plant that wants to grow where people want something
else. In blaming nature, people mistake the culprit. Weeds are people’s idea – not
nature’s”. I’m not sure who had written this, but it can be pondered with a spiritual
angle, also.
Thank you, Evan and all! Last year I retired from work and have been led into useful and enjoyable church-related work.
With gratitude,
Karen