wisdom

Point of No Return

/ The WheatandTares

Whatever you left because it broke you, don’t return to it when your tears have dried.

It may have been a person. It may have been a pain. It may have been a sin. It may have been a shame.

No matter what or who, never go back simply because the storm is over.

Too many abused return to their abuser.

Too many released will return to their captor.

Too many wounded will return to their accuser.

Why?

Often the comfort of the cage is easier than learning to live in the awkwardness of the new.

Often the known is more welcoming than the challenge of the unknown.

But be convicted to adjust.

Be determined to redirect.

Do not settle for the norm because it’s comfortable.

Do not settle for the available simply because it knows you.

Allow yourself to resettle.

Allow yourself to dream again.

Allow yourself to grow.

You’ll be amazed at the new you.

As a dog returns to his own vomit,
So a fool repeats his folly.

Proverbs 26:11

Deliver those who are drawn toward death,
And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.

Proverbs 24:11

It’s Not Me. It’s You.

/ The WheatandTares

Oh, if we could grasp this reality, what strength we could gather.

When someone wounds you, it’s not because you have done something wrong. It is because they have something wrong inside.

This is not to say that you could have possibly prevented it. Maybe. sometimes, we don’t notice warning signs until it is too late. Sometimes, we turn a blind eye because of our own hangups and intimidations.

But when someone wrongs you, particularly when it is repetitive, we have to accept it for what it is: their fatal flaw.

We don’t always need to defend ourselves.

And we don’t really need to retaliate.

But we do always need to walk away.

Step back from their negative blows.

Move out of the course of their mayhem.

Set boundaries and close the doors to their reckless endangerment.

Realize it is not your responsibility nor your burden to bear.

Sometimes, broken people try to break others.

Sometimes, wounded people live to wound others.

Sometimes, twisted people endeavor to twist the lives of others.

But this never means you have to surrender to it.

Remove your heart from their hammer and reclaim your peace.

It’s worth the effort.

You are worth the time.

Do not enter the path of the wicked,
And do not walk in the way of evil.
Avoid it, do not travel on it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; and their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

But the path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.

Proverbs 4:14-19

Keep Writing. Keep Reading.

/ The WheatandTares

This statement rings true in so many relationships.

So many are only surface deep.

Never enduring the hard days to witness the true character.

Never persevering the rain to find the rainbow.

How you approach a friendship tells a lot about your character.

How you delicately cherish or nonchalantly cast aside the relationship says more about you than about them.

Some people are only meant to be with you for a moment.

But those who stick around for the duration, they are worthy of the depths of your soul.

Where will your depth take you?

Your affliction is incurable,
Your wound is severe.
There is no one to plead your cause,
That you may be bound up;
You have no healing medicines.
All your lovers have forgotten you;
They do not seek you;
For I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of your iniquities,
Because your sins have increased.
Why do you cry about your affliction?
Your sorrow is incurable.
Because of the multitude of your iniquities,
Because your sins have increased,
I have done these things to you. ‘Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured;
And all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity;
Those who plunder you shall become plunder, and all who prey upon you I will make a prey.
For I will restore health to you
And heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord, ‘Because they called you an outcast saying:
“This is Zion; No one seeks her.” ’

“Thus says the Lord:

‘Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places; the city shall be built upon its own mound, and the palace shall remain according to its own plan.
Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.

Jeremiah 30:12-19

How Peaceful Are You?

/ The WheatandTares

Men may cry, “Peace, Peace!” But the war is already on the battlefield.

What you choose to do in times of war will often expose the depth of your character.

Some claim they are strong and powerful me; yet, they turn a blind eye and lower their hands to defeat the enemy.

Some declare peace and love can never be shown through force, and the innocent are left to die in the streets at the hands of wicked men.

But the meek, the humble, and the mighty all join as one to rescue the child, to defend the broken, to defeat the evil when it is in their power to do so.

The strongest and most fierce shelter the fragile and shield the blameless and call out the immoral.

It is never the muscles and brawn that make someone you stalwart and indomitable.

Rather, it is the passionate heart who stands for Truth at all cost.

It is the relentless pursuit for justice the raises up an army for victory.

It is the raging embrace of liberty that fortifies the battlefront.

These are the standards by which the war is won.

If you faint in the day of adversity,
Your strength is small. Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
If you say, “Surely we did not know this,”
Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He notknow it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

Proverbs 24:10-12

Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked.

Exodus 23:7

The Lion’s Silence

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

In the brush, you can’t see her silhouette as she glides along.

Below the grass, she hovers and waits.

The stalks swaying in the breeze as she pauses to take in the horizon.

Her eyes never leaving her prey as she haunts him with her shadows.

Believing it is only a myth, he grows complacent in the quiet.

Letting down his guard, his head lowers for a rest, never realizing his mistake.

Suddenly, she pounces from the mist and charges his serenity.

He attempts an escape, but the moment has passed.

She has him in her paws, and the pride closes in to bring her added strength.

Fight though he may, the battle is over before it even began.

All because he grew comfortable in the midst of her silence.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

1 Peter 5:8

Deception is Deception

/ The WheatandTares

This statement is so simply yet so profoundly true.

Those who are deceived never believe they’re deceived, and they’ll argue with you till there are no more words.

All of us have seen this to be true.

Look at an abuser turned rescuer. Look at the atheist turned believer. Even the faithless turned faithful.

All of them while being deceived would vehemently believe they’re not deceived; yet, the moment their eyes are opened, and truth is finally revealed, they see the error of their ways.

We all must be careful to not fall into the trap of lies set before us. It can happen to anyone, at any time, and at any place. No one is immune to it.

So, how do we safeguard ourselves from such stealthful occurrences?

How to we avoid such aversions to truth?

The easiest way is to always embrace truth, even when it hurts. But this truth cannot be a self proclaimed truth. It cannot be a feeling, an emotion, a sense of rightness founded in a notion or a trend.

Truth must be found in truth itself. And that is only found in the One who created Truth. All other “personal truths” will wash away in time. But His Truth is precise and accurate, regardless of feelings or circumstances. His Truth stands the test of time. His Truth was in the beginning, is here in the present, and forevermore will be.

So, how do we find this Truth? You will find Him when you seek Him with all your heart. Because that’s what He does best. Revealing Himself to those who seek Him is His specialty and sheer delight.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, andthe life. No one comes to the Father except through Me….”

John 14:6

However, when He,the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 

John 16:13-14

What Do You See?

/ The WheatandTares

There is a beautiful quote by Marcus Arelius that says, “To offend a strong man, tell him a lie. To offend a weak man, tell him the truth.”

So many people in this world are okay with less than truth. They can be inundated with lies and never be distracted. They can receive half truths and simply run with it and retell the story. And when truth actually confronts them, it is like a slap in the face, and they become offended.

As this becomes more and more prevalent in our modern society, you can watch a whole culture become divided and polarized, as fallacy makes a home like locusts and devours the innocent, while truth reigns in the hearts of a few, and a great chasm opens between them.

May we all examine our hearts today and determine which side of the canyon we belong.

For weak men will rise to power when weaker men rebel against truth and seek their own desires, demanding falsehood as the accepted edicts.

How you respond when you hear the truth exposes your strength of character. How you retell a lie displays to the world the depth of who you are. Even how you respond to this quote can determine your success or failure.

Strong men will be relegated to the haunted ghosts of yesterday as the masses embrace falsehoods as their standard.

But wisdom cries out to be heard. Truth never changes simply because someone silences it.

Rest assured, Truth will reign in the afterlife, and all will weep who did not heed the call.

Does not wisdom cry out,
And understanding lift up her voice?
She takes her stand on the top of the high hill, beside the way, where the paths meet.
She cries out by the gates, at the entry of the city, at the entrance of the doors:
“To you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men. O you simple ones, understand prudence, and you fools, be of an understanding heart.
Listen, for I will speak of excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips will come right things;
For my mouth will speak truth;
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
They are all plain to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.

Proverbs 8:1-9

Generational Fade

/ The WheatandTares

The natural progression from generation to generation is a proven fact.

What one generation places value in, their children rise to place more value in.

Or they revolt and rebel against that value.

Typically, there’s not a lot of gray area found.

So, if you’re a parent and you place a high value on education, often your children will do the same.

If your parents were hyped about ballgames and competitive sports, more often than not, you will do the same.

If you as a parent struggle to hold down a job throughout their formative years, many times, your children will, too.

If your parents weren’t super committed to God, a relationship with Him may not even be on your radar, or it may be seen as a dismissive once-a-year-whether-I-need-it-or-not event.

It’s truly the way of human nature. If you’re conditioned in one way throughout your childhood years, you’ll walk in those footsteps paved for you.

To walk a different path, you will literally have to fight and claw to be different.

This has been proven for generations. Look at abuse statistics, divorce patterns, and even educational journeys from one generation to the next. It is what it is.

So, if you want your children to be what I would call, “God chasers,” those kind of people who seek Him with all their hearts and work diligently to not only know Him and follow His will for their lives but also who live intentionally to share His love with others, this begins now, with you.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Matthew 6:33

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Soul Applications

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Truth is not enough to sustain your life lest you apply it.

Application of truth is the only way our lives become transformed from what they have been.

So, let’s ask ourselves some heartfelt questions today,

How much Truth am I receiving?

How much Truth am I accepting?

(And yes. There is a difference in receiving truth and accepting that truth as truth.)

If I am accepting Truth, am I applying it to my life?

If I’m apply this Truth to my life, is there fruit coming from my life?

Simple as that.

We can hear Truth all day long, but if we fail to receive it, accept it, apply it, and then, produce it, we fall into the age old trap of becoming a fool.

The lack of Truth being applied in someone’s life doesn’t change the Truth.

It only leaves a void of change in the hearer’s life.

And that, my dear friends, leads to a most tragic end.

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John 8:32

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

James 2:14-19

Unexpected Grief

/ The WheatandTares
*no association nor ownership of quote*

Goodbyes to those who have caused pain can be all together freeing; yet, the grief will come in waves as the broken covenant becomes a reality.

It can be all together overwhelming.

Just because the decision to leave is right doesn’t mean it will be full of joy and laughter.

Just because the need to walk away is necessary doesn’t mean the path is smooth and easy.

It can be the hardest season of life.

And the loneliest.

Yet, never doubt the resolution to remove toxicity and never return to it simply because of the sharp agony of separation.

Cry the tears that must be shed.

Weep and wail.

Rant and rage.

Then, take a deep breath and exhale.

And know that through the grief, an inner strength will grow which will extend beyond the pain.

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

2 Timothy 3:1-5