Isaac & the Acorn
Years ago, I was on a long, morning walk with Isaac the dog when I noticed he was limping. I stopped, knelt down, and examined his paws. Finding no stickers or scrapes or cuts, I stood and told him to shake it off. He tried. But then he stopped again and lifted his front left paw off of the ground. He looked up and spoke with his eyes: ”The problem is this paw. Look again.”
So I held the paw and carefully looked between each toe. I spread the pads of his paws and scraped away the dirt. And there it was. Tucked into the crevices of his paw was an acorn.
I carefully removed the acorn and placed his paw back on the ground. He hesitantly put his weight back on it. Realizing all four feet were back in working order, he took off with tail wagging, dragging his surgeon behind him. I know that was his bow-wow way of saying, “Thanks.”
Isn’t it amazing how something so small can have such a big impact? Isaac’s whole body was affected by adjustments he was having to make from one, small, unnecessary thing.
James 3 is all about the power of our words. He reminds us that words can be like a rudder that “propels a ship” or a spark that “sets a forest ablaze.” Words can seem as small as acorns, but if we’re not careful with them, they can cause harm.
The good news is that our words can also be a great help! Acorns that are not stuck in a dog’s paw can be a great benefit in their proper place. So it is with our words. How will you steward your speech today? Will you build one another up and sing praise to our God with them?
all good things to each of you,
Dr. Darian (and Dog-tor Isaac)