Compost Mentis

 

Yes, I spelled that correctly. Most people know that compost is made up of detritus from yardwork, food scraps, just about any kind of organic stuff that will decompose under the right conditions. And while this kind of compost is very good for growing vegetables, mental compost is not very helpful.

 

Mental compost can be made up of anything swirling around in your head. Negative thoughts, negative input from the media, every little thing from Junior High…

There’s a saying “You are what you eat.” The same goes for your mind, “Garbage in, garbage out.”

 

In Philippians 4:8, the apostle Paul says, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

 

In other word, put GOOD stuff in your mind! And it’s so easy to say, but so hard to do sometimes. There’s not a lot of virtuous or praiseworthy stuff going on in the world right now. It seems we’re all at each other’s throats. The knives are ready to plunge into backs. Whatever is negative is what is broadcast in the media.

 

So watch your mental compost pile. Sift through it often. Turn it over. Take out the bad stuff and leave the good. Keep putting more good stuff in. Try to use your good compost to feed the fruits of the spirit.