Weeds

I pulled lots of weeds today. Strange as it may sound, I love pulling weeds. I think because there is such satisfaction in the end product. Dad and I also cleaned out his closet and gave lots of clothes away. Again, great satisfaction. It seems that if we could do the same with the besetting sins and wasteful habits in our lives, we would get the same satisfaction. I guess the problem for me is that I can't see the end result as easily as a nice flower bed without weeds and a clean closet.

estote ergo prudentes sicut serpentes et simplices sicut columbae

The NIV reads "Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves," but you can see that the Latin for "shrewd" is prudentes and for "innocent" is simplices. To me, "shrewd" has a negative sense, as if you were trying to get by with something or deceive someone in some way, but prudence, according to Webster, is "the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason." In my Latin book, the definition of prudentia is "good sense." (If you know someone who is a snake expert, you might ask them about prudence in snakes - it could be eye-opening!) "Innocent" is also from a Latin word, in+nocens, which means "not harming," but the Latin word here, simplex, means simple, single; unmixed, pure. It reminds me of the word "integrity," from which we get "integer," meaning whole.
So, we have two goals. One is to have good sense. Use the reason that God has given you to make right choices, to discipline yourself, to judge fairly and rightly. The second is to be simple, not to be double-minded, two-faced, speak with a forked tongue. Let people know who you are - men of integrity who let their yes be yes and their no be no. No lies, no deceit, no pretending.

P.S. I'm not quarreling with the NIV. What I like about looking at the Latin (the Greek, of course, would be better, but not as easy for me), is that it gives you a different perspective.

To my prudent and simple sons! I love you!

Love to my boys

I love you boys! I know you aren't used to looking at this yet, but I hope to be more faithful.
Love, Mom