I want to finish this series of devos with a slight direction change – purity in speech.
Song 2:15 “Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, While our vineyards are in blossom.”
It’s unclear from who’s perspective it is that this verse was written in, but its message is very clear. Foxes are small animals and move about mostly unnoticed. It is only when the damage is visible do we notice them. The vineyard in the verse refers to the relationship between two lovers and their love is in full bloom. But even in full bloom, it is not completely secure. The relationship must be firmly guarded and protected or the little foxes will sneak in and ruin it.
Our words, however little they may be, are powerful. A word, once spoken cannot be taken back. You can’t undo or delete it.
Just as the little foxes can sneak in and ruin a vineyard, so also our words can sneak in and over time lead to a ruined a relationship. Little words spoken out of anger can deliver devastating consequences. They can leave the vineyard, the relationship, in ruins. What once was the beauty of spring in full bloom has now become a cold winter.
We say that words build up. This is true. But have you ever considered what they are building up exactly? Just because they build up doesn’t necessarily mean they are building up something praiseworthy.
Each word, although small in size, spoken wrongly, are placed in a wall we are building. Even pebble sized words contribute to the wall. Over time, small pebbles accumulate, and some larger ones are tossed in there as well. This continues until one day there’s a wall between you and the other person that was built using words that should never have been spoken.
This person may be your spouse. This person may be a parent. This person also may be Jesus.
One final note. Be mindful of what you post on Facebook or other social media sites. You must not hide behind your computer screen. It is all too easy to use words we wouldn’t otherwise use, all because we feel safer not being face to face. If you can’t use those words face to face then you must not use those words on Facebook. Period. Remember, little foxes sneak in and ruin relationships. This is a warning we all need to heed.
I’ll close on this thought and question. What we feed our minds indeed will find its way out through our words.
So I ask…What has your mind’s diet been like?
