Fresh or bitter?

Morning all, and what a lovely morning today here in Cornwall.

Work is once again busy with a member of my team moving to another department leaving a bit of a hole and consequently work load for myself and my remaining team.

On occasions like this when work load goes up it is, i find, all too easy during the day to forget that as a Christian at work I am called to be a witness for The Lord.

James 3 v 11-12 says  “Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?  Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.
In examining myself when reading these verses, perhaps the critical question is, “Do my words and actions ( the spring) hurt or cut others down as well as build up and support, and if so does that make me guilty of all that James describes here?”

In my relationships both at home and at work I and the “other person” expect to trust one another, and we expect the “waters” of our words to be refreshing, to be pleasant, to be loving and positive. When we are hit with the “something bitter”—words spoken in anger, gossip, harsh criticism, or backhanded sarcasm toward us we feel a shock and I find it always leaves me feeling distaste in my mouth and betrayal in my heart.

All of us are capable of all these kinds of bitter communication. We have to ask ourselves: “Do I send both fresh and bitter water from my mouth? Does my tongue produce both figs and olives?”

I pray that I may only give fresh water and tasty figs to those around me.

Have a good week

Mark