What if a photographer were to come to a beautiful garden and take snapshots of each flower bed while only focusing on the weeds? The garden would no longer seem beautiful. The snapshot taken would not do the garden justice.

The same concept applies to our Christian life. Often we are like the photographer. We tend to focus only on the weeds we need to pull out. We get discouraged because we feel that there is nothing good in our “garden.”

Sometimes it is necessary to refocus in order to see the big picture of what God has done in our lives. We are told in Scripture that He is working in our lives to do His good pleasure. We may still have some weeds to dig out, but we may also have a lot of wonderful flowers blooming.

You may be overwhelmed and discouraged thinking about all the areas of your life you need to work on: perhaps you have let your prayer life slip a little or maybe you have allowed weeds of bitterness to take root. These areas are important to deal with, but don’t ignore the big picture.

Take a moment to reflect upon your life before you were saved. Where do you think you would be right now without Christ? Look at how far the Lord has brought you and be encouraged. Take a snapshot of some of the “flowers” that He has made to bloom in your life.