"Thistles"

     Thistles are like dandelions, in that they need help to disperse their seeds such as the wind or another object striking their stems to send the seeds flying in all directions.  Without wind or the shaking of the thistle, the seeds would simple fall to the ground near the parent plant and would not spread. I remember that my Grandfather would give my brothers and me each a hoe and have us chop thistles out of the fields for they served no purpose other than to irritate those that came in contact with their spine covered stems and leaves.  Hatred, strife, envy, these are the thistles of mankind.  I never heard my Grandfather proclaim that he didn’t have enough thistles in his field.  We live in a time where people, social media, and the press go about kicking thistles letting the seeds that they profess to dislike scatter to other regions of the field where they will land and will bring forth more thistles.  There are other seeds worthy of sowing.  Have you ever heard someone say that we have too much love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control in the fields of the world?  Can you have to much of these things?  Scripture simple states, “Against such there is no law.”  Before we speak, act, or post let us examine the seeds that we are spreading.  We have got to quit kicking the thistles the thorns do harm to us and seeds take root elsewhere doing harm to all they come in contact with.