![]() Memorial Day just passed and we had a weekend we will always remember. Like many American's we invited friends and family over for a cookout to enjoy some kebabs. Unlike many American's we ended up poisoned and puking up our delicious lunch. How did this happen? A friend brought some "wild onions" they had just discovered in their yard. He explained they were a good size for the kebabs so he and my husband cut them up and added them to the skewers. The problem... they weren't onions. They were daffodils, which are poisonous. We didn't know this until after it was too late. We had many warning signs that were ignored and it got me thinking, what are the ways that we allow poison into our lives? None of us mean to allow toxic materials to seep into our home, family and life, but somehow it finds it's way in. These are some mistakes that we made yesterday that we need to be careful of in our lives: GENUINE IGNORANCE: This was why they first came into the house. The friend that brought them over genuinely believed that they were onions. They had a bulb and green top, onions also have a bulb and green top. There are many "poisonous" things in this world that we just don't know are bad. Things that disguise and parade themselves as something good that really are the opposite. It's important that we study scriptures so we can spot a counterfeit good thing. Philippians 4:8 says that "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy -- think about such things." This eliminates many songs, movies, and TV shows that are popular today. Make sure you are learning what really is a good thing so that you aren't consuming poison. BEING IN A HURRY: When the friend arrived and happily announced his surprise for me while holding 20 pounds of "onion" in a bucket, I was mid celebration preparation: trying to get someone a knife for the vegetables, someone else ice for the punch, finding a cutting board for the watermelon, and work around them in my tiny kitchen. I didn't give it the time to go over and actually look at them. I simply asked him to put them outside. Having spent the most time around plants of anyone in the room, I was the best hope to correctly identify the plant and could have before the meal if I had taken the time to get to know what was coming in. In our lives are we taking time to truly monitor what comes into our lives or the lives of our kids? Are we in such a rush that we don't closely monitor the shows our kids are watching or actually listen to the words in the pop song? Do we rush through spending time with God leaving us susceptible for ungodly behaviors to grow? NOT BEING ATTENTIVE: My husband and friend decided they would be a good addition to the skewers so they were instructed to clean and cut them outside. My husband admitted after that while outside the friend pointed to our flower garden and said "Look, you guys have some too." My husband told him that those were daffodils, not onions, and they continued to work at preparing the "onions" for the meal. Sometimes, things can sneak in simply because we aren't being attentive to them. This seemed like an obvious time to catch our menu mix-up, but then again there are lots of times you look at life choices people are making and wonder how they don't see the harm it is doing. Staying up late, dating the wrong person, working too hard, etc. These things are always easier to see on the outside or after the fact, and the hardest to catch when you are in them. TOO AFRAID After they were cut up and brought back inside in the bowl, we questioned how they looked, we commented on the film as we put them on the skewers, and even discussed how the taste was off. We all had several opportunities to question the validity of the claim that this vegetation was an onion, yet none of us did. We didn't want to be the one to sound silly and make a claim that was unfounded or challenged anyone else's claim. This is easy to fall into because of they people around us. People around us can have a major impact in the mistakes we are willing to make. Don't believe me? Think of Matthew 14:9. Herod beheaded John the Baptist because of those who sat around him. He allowed himself to make a mistake because he didn't want to be viewed differently by the people around him. This one can cripple many people from keeping out poison as they will go through with something, coming up with an excuse when the only reason is they are too afraid to have a different opinion than the masses. IN CONCLUSION... We had many opportunities to catch the mistake that had been made. Many moments that we let go by until we were regrettably hugging the toilet later that day. At that point, we wished we had made a closer investigation of what we let in, but it was too late. Hopefully, we can avoid these traps of ways poison can slip into our lives, before it is too late.
The good news is, if it did get in, we can get it out! Just like our bodies rejected the poison and spewed it out, if we have discovered that poison has made it's way into our lives, we can make an effort to conscientiously reject it and we have Jesus that can help remove it from our lives. We will feel so much better about our lives when all of the poison of sin has been removed. While the removal can sometimes be uncomfortable, the relief that comes from a poison free life is so worth it! Trust me, I know.
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AuthorI am someone who loves to write. I like to think and be creative. I was encouraged by my husband to write more and so this is me writing. Hope you find something of value in these words. Archives
December 2019
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