Saturday, October 17, 2009

Spirit Convincer

This little orange tree lives in my neighbor's yard across the street. Small, but produces oranges. We live a block from the Middle School, so youth pass our street every day. Last week my husband and I noticed there were green oranges in our front yard. Hummmm?


The next day I sat by the window, no not like a crazy old lady, but because our computer is in the front room by the window and I was writing. (just for clarification.) I wanted to see if my suspicions were correct. The cars lined up for the kids and then came the kids. Throwing oranges happens all the time around here with all our fruit trees. I wanted to take up for my neighbor's baby tree.


Sure enough about 4 middle school boys gathered around our corner and pulled oranges off the tree to toss them into our yard, or so it seemed. One of the boys even went and talked to a mom sitting in her van waiting for her child. I thought she told them to stop. Nope. The boys picked up more to throw. So I sent (teehee, like how I did that?) my hubbie out to tell them to leave the little tree alone. (My neighbor treasures his yard-but works in the afternoons.)


To our shock, one of the boys jumped in the van with the mom and they took
off. That was a biggest surprise of all.



The kids picked oranges only to throw into the old culvert, that tempting dark hole in front of our house. But what did that mom do? What did she teach?


"You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." Matthew 7:5


Then before night came, the Spirit Convincer spoke in my heart. Don't you do the same? Do you speak critically of others and laugh when others do too? Don't you get annoyed when others irritate you? Don't you turn the other way to avoid a confrontation, to wrong a right? Do you practice everything you want others to do?


I can no longer "judge" that mom. Excuse me, I have something in my eye.

11 comments:

Analisa said...

LOL,
I love the line. Excuse me I have something in my eye.

God always gets me with this one.
Stop judging another mans servant. I really helps me because I am such a people watcher. Which is fine, but I always had this running commentary in my head that was not very kind. So now the Holy Spirit says..don't judge another mans servant.

Great post.

Bina said...

Excuse me while I sit here and say "Ouch!!" :) Great post Karen...and great reminder about what truth is...about who we ALL really are when no one is looking or can hear our thoughts.

Thanks for being so open!
Bina

Jean Wise said...

so true, so true, dear Karen. So often what I complain the most about others is exactly what I don't see in my own heart. Love the word Spirit Convincer.

Jeanette Levellie said...

Oh, Karen. I relate so to this. Whenever I criticize another, even if only in my thoughts, the voice of the Lord comes quietly up behind me, saying, "And you're so perfect?"

Karen said...

Analisa, yes, I know about those, "running commentaries" in my head too. So glad you stopped by and decided to follow! Welcome!

Bina, I've always been fasinated by the verses where Jesus KNEW what they were thinking. Oh, how I need to remember that! :)

Jeanie, thanks, sometimes I just tend to make up words, it seems to express what I mean. That's probably not a good writing habit, is it?

Jeanette, oh, that quiet voice of that truth always hits me right between the eyes.

LLG said...

Boy, this was convicting, Karen! Great post.

Johnnie Alexander said...

I was going to be a bit of a contrarian and support your first reaction as being valid -- what did that mom teach? We can look at that as a negative parenting example, learn from it, pass it along to others. But that takes us right back to ourselves, doesn't it? There's no escaping the shining light of conviction on our own behavior.

Karen said...

Laura, thanks, I still need lots of work on this one.

Johnnie, I know what you mean. Our "rights" society deludes in more than one way. I want to stay in the light, even if it makes my eyes blink alot....

Sista In Arms Lxx said...

I was with you all the way.....and then i got poked in the eye ! Lxx

Diane said...

Love the last sentence of your blog... that sealed the deal in my heart too. :O)

Karen said...

Leeanne, I'm right there with you.

Diane, thanks, scripture get right to the point. (No pun intended, well, maybe.)