Ahh Spring!

My house smells like fresh cut grass and sunscreen. Some of my favorite smells. The kids heard it was supposed to be hot today, and boy is the weather coming through for them! They both actually had their swimsuits on this morning first thing... I had to explain that it probably wouldn't get THAT hot, but they are willing to try...they really are hoping to pull out the slip and slide before the end of the day!

I am reading a book that was loaned some time ago to me by a dear friend called "Heaven at Home" by Ginger Plowman. I have loved this book- it really is encouraging to my heart and it is nice to be able to read something that doesn't take a ton of brain power but gives morsels to digest that are Kingdom minded. I just wanted to share one story that was in the book that I was touched by. The chapter is about keeping friendships Christ-centered, and one of the sub points of the chapter is keeping from gossip. Here is the story:

There was once a young girl who felt terribly convicted for

slandering another girl. Trying to ease her guilt, she told

her mom what she had done. The wise mom told the girl to gather a

bucketful of feathers. The girl was then instructed to walk one mile

to the school, dropping the feathers along the way. After the girl

had done as she was told, she returned home, not understanding why her

mother had asked her to do such a strange chore. Her mother sent her

back down the same road with instructions to gather all the feathers and

put them back in the bucket. When the girl returned home the second time she

replied, "Mom, it is impossible to gather all the feathers. The wind has scattered

them all over." The wise mom took the child's face in her

hands and gently said, "Just as it is impossible to take back slander

before the poison has spread."

I was touched by this story for several reasons, but mostly for me it was a gentle reminder of how even the littlest gossip can be damaging to everyone. It reminds me that we need to guard our tongues. And the only way to do that is through the power of the Holy Spirit. As James 3:8 says "but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." It again just reminds me to be careful in the words that flow from my mouth.