Pulling weeds.
That’s my job in the ever constant battle to maintain a yard. Now I don’t always do this just after church, but yet, I do hate weeds.
All of this time in the grass gives me time to consider the need of weeding my words.
1. When I break off the top of a weed, I can know that I will see it again in the exact same place. I can either go get a tool and dig out the root system, or wait a week or so until it comes back up. Waiting necessitates a deeper dig, as now the roots are larger.
Lesson: Our speech roots to the heart. If our approach is to “keep our mouth closed”, we effectively “pull off the top” and will see those same destructive words reappear at another time. The sooner that we allow the Father to deal with the root, the smaller knife He has to use in pruning.
2. The weeds are worse along the edges of our yard. The alley weeds quickly spread into our yard, especially at the borders.
Lesson: The more friendship I have with the world, the more apt I will be to see those thoughts and attitudes reproduced in my everyday language.
3. Weeding is easier when Mark has just watered. Weeds come up cleaner when the soil is moist.
Lesson: Daily doses of the Word keeps my heart (and my tongue) free from growing wild and uprooting healthy habits.
4. Weeding is not overnight work, but takes place over time.
Lesson: Don’t be discouraged when “weedy words” get the best of you. This is a gradual process, but the hidden Spirit inside of us is growing steadily stronger as we daily surrender to Him. “Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David grew steadily stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker continually” (2 Samuel 3:1). As we feed His seed within us, our sin nature starves.
What is the most significant thing that the Father has revealed to you about your words?
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