From the Overflow of the Heart

Many words have been spoken today. Many words are spoken around our house everyday, but too many of the wrong kinds of words have been spoken today. I would categorize today as a tough one. Sophie and I were struggling with expressing ourselves using angry words and Will was struggling with his lack of enough words to express himself at all. I saw behaviors that needed to be addressed, and I felt too weary to address them, but not to weary to be angered by them. I called Matt to tell him the list of behaviors that we must formulate a plan to address. Realizing I am in need of more than a plan, I opened today's devotion to be confronted with:
"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:43-45 

Fabulous. Just when I want to crack the proverbial parental whip, I read that the problems that need to be addressed most urgently are within my own heart. To a certain extent, the fruit I am seeing in the children is a reflection of my own fruit. Not exactly impressive right now. In fact, thornbushes and briers are good analogies for the words that have been spoken today. A definite "prickliness" has prevailed. And I also realize that it isn't even close to enough to "make an effort" or "try to do better," for the problem really isn't my behavior as much as it is my heart. Once again, my Father is more concerned with who I am that what I do. I think it would be easier to address the behavior, first the kids' and then my own (actually, I could probably try to figure out and address what Matt's done wrong too, and he isn't even here...), but that's not the message I received today. 

So where to begin? If my mouth speaks out of the overflow of my heart, there is only one place to go, and I know I've been here before, and I will certainly be here again... Psalm 51.


So I will make my home here for a while because, if I remember correctly, this type of change can take its time. But a pure heart and a steadfast spirit is worth lingering for. Receiving again the joy of His salvation and being sustained by a willing spirit sounds like it is worth the time. Out of the overflow of my heart, my mouth speaks, and not only does my Father care about my heart as much as I care about my children's, but I also have important little ears listening and precious little hearts being influenced. I want to show them how to have good stored up in their hearts and what to do when the overflow isn't so good. 

Comments

Matt Roden said…
Can I say that I'm proud to be married to you?
January 14, 2009 at 10:27 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Happy 31st Birthday!

Image
Happy 31st Birthday Matt! Most people say things like, "I can hardly believe it's been a year since we fill-in-the blank... My, where does the time go???" Well, I know where the time since your last birthday has gone. It's been right here backing over us like a mack truck! All I can think as I remember last Halloween is how has it only been one year since you were celebrating your 30th birthday by going to a Halloween bash designed for teenagers while Aunt Pam and I took the kids trick-or-treating in the rain? It seems like at least three years ago since you and I were in the house with a princess throwing a fit about something while Aunt Pam was on the front porch knocking on the door to let us know our dragon had just made himself throw up to avoid wearing his costume. Seriously. Are you sure you're not turning 35? Since this year has been oh-so-eventful, I thought it would be no problem to come up with 31 memorable moments from the past year! 1. Begin at the b...
Read more

She Never Stops Talking

Image
Sometimes when Matt is home for extended periods of time, as he was during the week of Thanksgiving, he has the opportunity to notice new things about our children. Not that he isn't connected to them - he is an amazing, hands-on, intentional dad, but the fact that he spends much of his time at work means that there are little "joys" his misses out on.  One of the little "joys" he misses most of the time is the opportunity to spend long periods of time in the car with our kids. (I attribute Matt's perpetual cheerfulness to this fact, but that is another story...) Over Thanksgiving, however, Matt spent all kinds of time in the car with our offspring, and he was stunned by the number of times Sophie said "Mama..." Now, she said it no more and no less than she normally does, but the fact that Matt was in the car and I was talking, or trying to talk, with him seemed to highlight how often the word that has become my name was uttered. Sophie has always...
Read more

Sophie's 8th Birthday

Image
Sophie had one of her most perfect days on her 8th birthday, and I loved that we were able to give her a dream-come-true day! She woke up to a birthday breakfast, but without our typical doughnuts because we were headed straight for the Franklin Farmer's Market. We showered her with art supplies and an Ariel birthday sign, and she was thrilled about all of them!  At the Farmer's Market, Sophie roamed around like the gypsy she is, thrilled to have $10 (instead of her usual $5) to spend! You can't imagine how much Sophie can buy with $10 at the Farmer's Market! When honey sticks are going for a quarter, that can make for a long day! It was hotter than blue blazes, and we'd brought Aunt Tori, Uncle Derek, Aunt Hope, and Zoe, so over half our crew had to head inside The Factory before Soph had finished her shopping, but not before we all enjoyed treats and lunch from Biscuit Love!  After the Farmer's Market, we all head to Honey's, a new candy ...
Read more