I was out walking when the path narrowed because of overgrowing blackberry bushes. I couldn’t take a step without being caught by their thorns. I had to keep stopping to carefully remove the barbs, doing my best to protect my skin and clothing from being torn and scratched.
Lately, I have been reflecting on the things I get worked up about—the stuff I get snagged on. I don’t carefully remove myself from them; I let them hold me, scratching my relationships and tearing my peace.
While pondering this in my journal, I had two Holy Spirit revelations:
- I justify staying snagged as an act of doing something for myself—maybe protecting, maybe defending. I have a reason, a cause, so I stay.
- What if the “cause” isn’t real, true, or necessary? What if it’s a lie or a distraction?
When I was out walking among the blackberry bushes, I removed those thorns and was freed to move forward.
In contrast, when I let a moment in an interaction become a thorn that catches me, I’m stuck. Instead of moving away from it, I think my way through it, giving myself time to build more reasons to defend staying there.
Mostly, those everyday-thorn moments don’t require any special dexterity of hand to detach from—only a decision to do so.
“A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 19:11
Photo by Tanya Barrow on Unsplash
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