Perhaps I’m showing my age here, but do you remember this nursery rhyme?  “Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow…”

As with many children’s rhymes written in the 1700’s, this ditty has political and religious connotations, speaking more about the queen’s attitude and the peasants’ burdens … the discordance of the outward show held up against the truths of daily life.  I wonder how much has really changed since then.

During my training as a Christian Life Coach, I participated in a personal values evaluation.  I discovered that one of my five top values is INTEGRITY.  This means, basically, “What you see is what you get.”  The outside matches the inside.  Or at least this is what I strive for.  Our visual, media-driven, consumer-centered culture (yep, I said it) tends not to support the development of integrity-centered living.  A life of integrity doesn’t require surgery or expensive clothes or technological updates. Integrity grows out of who you are at the core of your being when you are open and honest about yourself.

How does your garden grow?  Are you contrary?  Are your daily choices taking you in one direction while, inwardly, you wish you were living another way?  Do the words that come out of your mouth serve to strengthen your relationships, or isolate you?  Are you purposefully planting the types of seeds that will grow the life you’ve always wanted? Or are you scattering any seed you find?

In tomorrow’s post, I’ll explain how you can start the process of Growing Your Beautiful Life with a God-Centered plan.  In the meantime, please feel free to comment:  What are your thoughts on INTEGRITY, VALUES and our CURRENT CULTURE?