Good Morning Garden

It would probably be safe to say that more than half of the evil in the world is due to well-meaning busybodies who just cannot refrain from interfering. Needless to say, such people never have harmony or success in their own lives, for it is an invariable rule that he who minds his neighbor’s business, neglects his own.

To interfere mentally in any situation involves you in the consequences just as much as would a physical interference. Of course, where it is your duty to concern yourself in any matter, you must do so – constructively and spiritually – and then the consequences to you can only be good.

For every man shall bear his own burden (Galatians 6:5).

It is a fine line we walk while discerning when to involve ourselves in the affairs of another. Out of love we may feel we must do something to help, or out of a sense of justice we may feel the need to punish. How do we know when to act and when to acquiesce?

First, we should seek God’s guidance to ensure our motives derive from the desire to help and not our personal gain, comfort (or discomfort), our judgements or any self-righteousness. If so, then watch. If not, we should then determine if our concern is warranted. In other words, do the actions that concern us rise to the level of action on our part. For instance, is your neighbor simply burning trash in his yard or setting the neighborhood on fire. If its his yard, then watch and pray.

Lastly, when we have decided that we must act, we should prayerfully seek guidance on what is the best course of action. Sometimes swift and drastic action is necessary such as pulling a child from the path of a car. Sometimes, no action is required, such as allowing an errant child to suffer the consequences of bad decisio ns. And, sometimes there is no action that can contribute toward a solution and we must resign ourselves to prayer and loving concern.

The key is to subject every thought, word and deed to God’s wisdom through prayer and to the written word of God. If our actions meet the tests of love, then act and pray. If not, then watch and pray. We will always respond rightly if we ask ourselves in the words of pop culture, “What would Jesus do”? Then we must follow the answer.

Minding the garden,

Z gardener