I must water and feed those things that I want to grow. If I want to grow a heart of joy, then I must plant the words of God and his truth. I must feed joy daily to ensure that it becomes a healthy fruit of my heart. I must be vigilant to pick and demolish the weeds of doubt, despair, sin, complaint, and selfishness, which threaten to overcome this joy. A hedge of protection should be in place so that nothing comes in to destroy the very place that God designed for me to cultivate faith, truth, beauty, and joy.
It takes diligence and constant vigilance to ensure that a garden remains healthy, vigorous, and strong. It requires attentive care, every day. "All gardens are prone toward ruin unless they are cared for every day," a gardener friend once said to me, "But mine is a work of love, and so I am committed to keeping it beautiful as long as I live."
These words of hers live on in my thoughts and dovetail with the proverb, "Watch over your heart with all diligence." Diligence definitely needs to be a resolve and commitment so that nothing robs me of the fruit of joy.
Read more about this in Dancing With My Heavenly Father