Patricia's Principles for Living

I took the dead looking browned seedling out of its pot. “It’s a shame that I couldn’t save the poor thing,” I thought . I’ll toss the soil back into the garden. As I lifted the 4 inch seedling I noticed something spiraled around in the pot. I tugged on what looked like a rope. Unraveling it I discovered it was the root. “My, my”, I thought as I stretched it out. “Look at this thing,” I exclaimed to my husband! “Come measure it,” I continued. Inside the 3 inch pot attached to a 4inch seedling was four and a half feet of root. “ This doesn’t even seem possible,” I exclaimed incredulously. Immediately I recalled the scripture to not let a root of bitterness spring up in your heart. The root filled the pot. In no way could it get the nutrients it needed to sustain a green plant. No matter how much water I gave it the plant was destined to die scrunched up in the pot with its root choking it. Isn’t this like life I thought? Do I have any root of bitterness in my heart. Wrapped like ...

Unbelievable is what I thought when I heard the sad news yesterday that the superintendent of the Chicago Schools was found dead. The coroner ruled his death a suicide. My heart went out to his wife and family. What could drive a man to take his own life? He had a plum job, a good education and a family. Yet he felt so pressured by concerns that he might be indicted that he couldn’t see beyond his present troubles to a more hopeful future. He had climbed the ladder of success. However at the top he saw that his ladder was leaning on the wrong wall. He may have made a mistake. He may have gotten in some trouble. However to end his life in such a way is tragic. I am going to assume that he really did not understand the forgiveness that God gives. No matter how we mess up, bungle our lives, make mistakes or are outright defiant there is a God who forgives. I’m not saying there are not consequences for our actions. I am saying that we can turn to God when there seems to be no way out. Go...

Junk Drawer Opening the bread bag I simultaneously pulled opened the junk drawer. Unthinkingly I tossed the bag twist in it. One of these days I’m going to clean out that drawer. That drawer the home of things I can’t categorize, but when I need odds and ends I go to it. It’s filled with items of dubious worth. As I worked I started to wonder. Does my heart have a junk drawer or maybe even a junk room? Have I put miscellaneous hurts and grievances in it? I keep it closed around friends and family. However, privately, I rummage through it from time to time. Am I keeping scraps of resentments, jealousies, roots of bitterness or little insults I received in it? I’m careful to not let it be on show, nevertheless the “stuff’ is in there. Right then and there I gave up the right to keep my junk drawer. Dear God, please clean out this area of my life. Let me instantly forgive and keep my heart clean from secret sins and grievances.