Planting Good Thought-Seeds

Planting Good Thought-Seeds

Thoughts……do they really matter? It’s been said that everything man creates begins with a thought. Proverbs 23:7 tells us that we are what we think in our heart. It’s also been said “Where the mind goes, the man follows” -- Joyce Meyer. Or, “Where focus goes, energy flows”. And, often we’re asked to “think about it” before giving someone an answer or making a decision. Even Einstein recognized the power of the mind when he said “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” So, then, how important are our thoughts, really? And, what could they possibly have to do with being a grandma?

Turning fifty was a life-changing year for me, not only in turning my health around, but also in changing my mind – more specifically, my thought-life. Oh, the wisdom of hindsight and realizing how true those principles were that I really never grasped during the know-it-all days of my youth. The more years I live, the more I realize how little I really know!! However, I also keep growing and continue to learn the deeper truths pertaining to life; those which are eternal and effective, regardless to whether we are conscious of their existence, or not.

Have you ever planted a garden, or watched someone who has? Seeds go into the fertile soil, then are watered and soak up the sunshine as they mature into the plants they were designed to be. Plant tomato seeds and you get tomatoes, plant cucumber seeds and they yield cucumbers, plant corn and what should you expect? You would obviously expect a harvest of corn. Thoughts work the same way; and who better to plant good ‘thought seeds’ than Grandma?



If Mom or Dad tells their children something profound, it seems it is almost an unwritten code that at least during some point in their lives they will question it. But, let Grandma offer the same advice, and it takes on a whole new meaning. Grandma makes life fun and exciting, remember? Surely, what she says should at least be given a second thought, and perhaps even seriously taken to heart. She’s seen as the one who has only the children’s best interests in mind, making life fun and adventurous!

What are some good ‘thought-seeds’ grandmas can plant in the rich soil of her grandchildren’s minds? I believe the first and most important ‘thought-seed’ is that they possess the ability to choose their thoughts, in each and every moment, no matter what is going on around them. For example: one of my granddaughters was having an extremely hard time being placed in ‘Time Out” during times she truly believed she had done nothing wrong. After discussing other factors, such as her parents’ expectations and what they believed was acceptable behavior, or not, I turned the focus to what was going on inside of ‘her’ during her time in “Time Out”.

I explained to her that she could focus on her anger, and why she believed she didn’t belong there – or, that she could use that time instead to think of what she would be doing once she was no longer sitting there. I also suggested she could think even further ahead, and dream about some of the things she would like to do later in her life – things in which she could be involved during her years in school, career ideas and choices as an adult, places she might like to live or travel…….even ways she might like to give into others’ lives.

Over the next few months, not only did her attitude change about being in “Time Out’, she actually spent less time there and more time doing some things she really enjoyed, such as reading. We also worked together to create a ‘media’ vision board (called “Mind Movies”), which she now watches every day. She has become more focused, and tends to make decisions that will lead her toward reaching her goals (and she is only 14!)

Of course, I didn’t just plant that ‘thought-seed’ and leave it to itself. After the initial ‘planting’ of that seed, we talked about the new things she would think about during her “Time Out” sessions. And, we created her vision board together. This ‘watering’ of the ‘thought-seeds’ is also important, in order to help grow and develop these precious seeds.

And, as with other ways Grandma influences her grandchildren, the effect of her influence works its way upward to their parents……….. perhaps the meaning of the words “and a little child shall lead them.” :)