Weeds and Flowers

[bluidkiti]

Weeds and Flowers

It's not fair, Trevor thought as he pulled weeds out of the flower beds in front of his house. Most kids get to play and watch TV and stuff, but I'm stuck weeding. As he worked, Trevor's mind shifted to things that had happened in the last few months. His parents had gotten divorced the past winter, and now Trevor and his mother had moved to the town where his grandparents lived. His mom worked long hours to support them, and he missed his dad. Trevor also missed all his friends since he moved, and he was nervous about attending a new school in the fall. Trevor sighed as he thought of all the bad things in his life.

Later that day, Grandpa came over, and Trevor told him about his weeding project. "I don't like weeding, so I'm glad that's all done," declared Trevor. "The flower beds do look better now, though."

"You did a good job," approved Grandpa. He pointed to one of the flower beds. "Those bright pink blossoms sure are pretty," he added.

Trevor looked at the flowers Grandpa was pointing out. "I never even saw those before," said Trevor. "They must've just bloomed this afternoon. I'm sure they weren't there when I weeded this morning."

Grandpa laughed. "Actually, I saw them when I was here a few days ago," he replied. "They're so bright, I'm surprised you missed them."

"I guess I was too busy looking for weeds to notice them," said Trevor.

Grandpa was thoughtful. "This reminds me of people who see only the 'weeds' or bad things in life," he said. "They're so busy complaining that they don't notice the 'flowers'-the good things-God gives them."

Wow! That sounds like me, thought Trevor as he recalled his complaints earlier that day about how awful his life was.

"God has given us many wonderful things," added Grandpa, "and we should focus on them rather than the things we dislike in our lives."

Trevor nodded and gave his grandfather a little smile.

HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you grumble or complain about what is happening in your life? Do you often look at the bad things? Or do you notice that God has blessed your life with many good things even though there may also be some that you dislike? Choose to look at the "flowers" in your life instead of the "weeds." See what a difference it makes in your attitude.

TODAY'S KEY VERSE:
Be content with such things as you have. Hebrews 13:5