Bear with me, I am not quite finished with yesterday's discussion of plants. Before the psalmist speaks of children, he speaks of the wife.
"Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house." (Psalm 128:3)
Imagine a vine reaching into every room of the house and bearing fruit. Well, if you think about it too literally it sounds a little messy and unkempt, doesn't it? It is as if the owner has left and the house is falling apart. Maybe you know a house like that, a house with lots of children that seems to be overgrown. Considered more poetically it is quite beautiful, once again equating the sanctity of the family with the bounty of nature. Either way it is a happy image unless you are a complete curmudgeon (Even if you are a curmudgeon, the thought of a fruitful vine, maybe full of grapes, has to be at least a little cheerful - perhaps there is a winery not too far away.)
For today, I read the psalmist wisely asking for help in being mindful of what comes out of his mouth.
"Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord, and guard the door of my lips;" (Psalm 141:3)
You have long learned something of the power of words, but let me assure you, there is still more to learn. Just think about the effect words have on you - words that have been spoken to you. How much of your life do you spend processing those words? Do you remember the words that were spoken to you when you were little children? How many words do we speak in a day? In a lifetime? Your words have meaning and power, don't doubt it.
It is revealing, however, that the very next phrase of the psalm addresses not what comes out of our mouths, but what is in our hearts:
"let not my heart incline to any evil thing." (Psalm 141:3)
What words do we see forming when we look into our hearts? How can we even communicate in words what is truly in our hearts?
I'm left thinking of the great beauty of scripture and how much comfort the expression of that beauty affords us - especially the fruitful vines and the olives plants.
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