Tendrils of Discontentment

TENDRILS OF DISCONTENTMENT

By: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing.” - Philippians 2:14

I used to love ivy.  My old backyard was absolutely gorgeous.  The thick carpet of lawn and the grove of lush trees reminded me of the Garden of Eden.  The first ivy peeked over, and eventually flowed down, the fence from the neighbor’s yard.  With time, the leaves created ground cover and the curly tendrils began to weave their way up into our trees.

It’s amazing how time flies when you aren’t paying attention.  I came home one day to find that my once delicate ivy had morphed into a monster.  The wispy ringlets were replaced with heavy, woody branches resembling tree trunks.  They crawled up into our trees, pulling them down, and along with them, our power lines.

Ivy covers and eventually chokes the life out of other plants, creating an “ivy desert” where nothing else can grow.  Had I known, I would have eradicated it immediately.

Discontentment, grumbling and complaining are like ivy.  Often looked upon as the innocuous ground cover of everyday conversations, they similarly weave their way into our lives and slowly begin to choke the life out of all they touch.  They leave no room for gratefulness, joy or hope.  They stand as miserable, solitary squatters on the landscape of our lives.

I don’t know about you, but I am DONE with allowing my joy and hope to be stolen. I REFUSE to give voice to grumbling and complaint.  They only cause misery. Given an inch, they will take a mile.

Lord, walk with us today through the garden of our hearts.  Expose every pervasive tendril of discontentment, grumbling and complaining.  Strengthen us to rip them out by the roots.

Then teach us to tend carefully to the seeds of gratefulness, that in the days and weeks ahead we might find ourselves blessed by what we have allowed to take root and grow.  Lord, help us to make wiser choices today than yesterday, so our garden will be an oasis of joy and not regret.  In Jesus’ Name ❤️

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