“Look after each other so that none of
you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of
bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.” (Hebrews 12:15 NLT)
When I was a kid, we lived in a rural
community that specialized in growing tobacco. My first summer job was weeding
the crop, and most of the time we would walk the seemingly endless rows with a
hoe, scuffing out weeds in relative comfort. But inevitably when we got close
to the fence, we ran into thistles -- hundreds and hundreds of little thistles.
They looked harmless enough, but you couldn't scuff them out with a hoe; you
had to get down on your knees and pull those prickly little things out by the
roots. We often thought it would be far easier to just let them stay there.
After all, they weren't very big. But the farmer knew if we left them until
harvest time, when we reached down to get a handful of tobacco, we would come
away with a palm full of thorns.
I have found that in life, bitterness is
a lot like those little thistles. We can push away hurts and pains, but the
only way to get rid of bitterness is to fall to our knees and root it out
through prayer. It is hard work, but if we leave a little bitterness in our
hearts, it grows until it does real damage to us.
-- Alan Beck
#4639
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for sharing your comments about a quote or about this ministry. Please include your name and what state or country you live in. If you do not have a registered profile, you can login using the "Anonymous" tag in the "Comment as:" box below.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.