“My heart is overflowing with a good theme.” So speaks the psalmist in Psalm 45:1. I was taken with this verse this morning, especially the very last line, My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” Between those two lines the psalmist declares his recitation to be his “composition concerning the King.” I’m grateful when the Word gives me pause. Far too often I read through it without giving it due consideration. This time I felt it and was moved.
I often fail to remember that my words are writing messages on the minds and hearts of others. Those messages impact their thoughts about my faith and my God. My tongue is indeed the pen of a ready writer and my life and pen speak with visibility the voice of my heart.
Weighty Words
Words, like bricks can be used either to increase the weight of another man’s burden or help shore up the crumbling walls of his life or faith. We must therefore “Let no corrupt word proceed out of our mouths*, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” Ephesians 4:29.
Amy Carmichael, Irish missionary to India in the 1800s said, “A cup brimful of sweetness cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, no matter how suddenly it is jarred.” It behooves me then to pour into my mind and heart only that which is good and will pour out grace and truth to the building up of another. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45
How About You
Have you sensed a bitterness of your own soul? Do you (like me) find yourself dwelling on negative things? The incessant mud-slinging in the political arena and the dreadful reactions to national tragedies have certainly provided much fodder for negative thought and rumination. We daily live out the consequences of such negativity in our words, attitudes and behaviors. Whatever be the cause, we must choose to think higher. We must choose to think nobler. Why? “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9. We must have the mind of Christ.
The eyes and ire of a watching world are upon us. If they are to judge the validity of our faith and the goodness of our God by what they read in our lives, we must think well, carefully weigh our words and provide them a worthwhile read.
God bless you and keep you,
Roxanne
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. ® Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
How can anyone call them weeds? We were out one evening deciding where to set up the garden and I saw the cutest little daisies. Without hesitation, my husband deemed them weeds. We didn’t agree on the garden location or the ‘flowers’ that evening.
The disciples returned and though they said nothing, they too marveled that Jesus spoke with this woman. She ran into the village and told the men all what she heard saying, 
I bring good news! The marigolds are in. After a season of barren trees, flowerless planters and brown grass, I long to look out my kitchen window and see the cheery colorful blooms of marigolds. You can imagine my opening the sale paper of our local nursery to find these little lovelies on the front page. My flower-loving heart was overjoyed! Well, it was. My husband once asked if we needed to plant so many marigolds. In a word…yes!
As much as I enjoy the flowers, I really enjoy tomatoes. I was disappointed to find that there were not very many tomatoes though. Just behind the flowers, I found a bunch of tiny green tomatoes shaded from the much needed sun. I realized that something was going to be sacrificed that day and I wasn’t pleased. The solution came with the answer to one simple question, “What are you growing here?” Since I was growing tomatoes and the marigolds became detrimental to them, the marigolds had to go. It was that simple.
I love words. I always have. English was my favorite subject in school, with Spelling running a close second. I loved adding new words to my vocabulary. I often kept a dictionary nearby when reading and still feel compelled to look up unfamiliar words rather than settle for the gist of the sentence meaning.
While watching a movie one evening, I saw something move behind the television. It was a mouse. To say that I was disturbed by this sighting is entirely true. It is also entirely understated. I ran to the kitchen. Standing by the counter talking to my sister, I saw it again creeping out from behind the china hutch. That mouse was running amuck in my house and terrorizing me. I screamed. My sister screamed too, though not just in sympathy for me. My scream startled her and she cut her finger, quite badly. Blood was pouring all over the place due to blood thinners she was taking so she had to get off the phone. Realizing that a shotgun would be overkill and a broom insufficient, I did what any red-blooded American girl raised in the suburbs would do. With tears in my eyes, I grabbed my jacket and purse and went shopping.
I spent this morning battling stains. Ok, not the whole morning but more of the morning than I would have preferred. One was an ink stain that resided on my husband’s finest dress shirt. He wore it for a couple hours and hung it up as soon as he got home, never seeing the ink. It would be a couple of weeks before he’d wear it again. When he saw the stain he thought to throw the shirt away, figuring it for a goner. I thought otherwise.
Penny is the sweetest little chicken. She follows me around the yard and meets me at the car when I come home from work. She found a dirt pile one day and it fast became her favorite place to be. She rolls around in it and works the dirt into her feathers. It doesn’t look appealing to me but it’s both cleansing and relaxing to her. I prefer a warm bath and candles myself, but to each chick her own I guess.
February is awash with hearts. Valentine’s Day and National Heart Health Month make it nearly impossible to avoid those little red wonders.
I got new glasses a couple months ago. At 50 blah-blah-blah years old, it was about time. This new pair was a double whammy for me; bi-focal & progressive lenses. They made me dizzy and nauseous. The ‘vision specialist’ said it was normal and would soon pass. This swanky pair of spectacles came with instructions; I’d have to find the sweet spot. I must say, there is something almost magical about the ‘sweet spot’. In this case, I could see clearly and didn’t require Dramamine®.
Clearer Vision
A heavy snowfall made both town and country roads hazardous and in some spots impassable for standard vehicles. That left me stuck at home and my husband stuck at work for two days. Once the roads were cleared, my husband was able to drive home; though not up our long driveway. He parked in front and trudged up the snowy path to the house. A neighbor saw the truck parked at the road and offered to bring the skip-loader over and remove the snow. 
Hopefully Devoted 