There are so many things in life competing for our attention. We are constantly bombarded by advertising to buy things or ideas to make us feel better, look younger, have more fun, be rich, or make the advertiser rich at our expense. It’s hard to focus. 

We want to have it all until we discover that these things are fool’s gold, things that look good at first glance but do not withstand the test of time or close inspection. We need a triage technique to extract the best and leave the rest. Our capacities vary, but we all have our limits. 

I wanted to emphasize the butterfly in the picture above. I could have made the surrounding flowers in focus but chose to edit them out of focus so the eye would be drawn to the subject of the butterfly. Sure, the flowers are attractive, but I didn’t want them to overwhelm. If the intent were to showcase the flowers, the blur would have been reversed. 

By beholding, we become changed. We need to be clear about the intentions and purposes of our lives and weed out those things that choke the good. A weed is defined as a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth. Let us be good gardeners of the heart, soul, and mind. 

“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.” Philippians‬ ‭4:8‬

—Larry Smith