Random Flows of Bitterness

James 3:11- "Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water?"

Of course, read in context, the answer to this rhetorical question is "NO". And yet to this day I cannot seem to grasp the undeniable fact that I, as a spring of life, often do just that. One day, or maybe even counted in moments, is sweetness, and the next, bitterness. Speaking in terms of spiritual health, most would agree that of all the fresh water that may pour out of us, we all have random flows of bitterness as well. While we long to be endless bottles of Evian or Fiji, we resemble more a city resirvoir, which means it really just depends on the day what will come out of the faucet.

But it is no doubt that James is making the point that this really "just SHOULDN"T be". It's never a proud moment for those who belong to the family of God for this to take place. He cannot be saying it's not possible, after all, the whole text is based on the idea that it's happening. The text, like so many other texts, in scripture is calling the behavior into check. And that's what we have to do.

There are things about us...evil things to call them for what they are. In the words of Petra, "sometimes we feel like Jekyll and Hyde". There is an eternal struggle between flesh and spirit, both elements fighting to take control of our actions, thoughts, and conversation. We can be "doing well", pouring out fresh water words of encouragement, thinking on that which is good wen before we can even sometimes catch ourselves, pouring out bitter hate and living momentarily, sometimes even days with our minds in the gutter. Now. for a typical person this is life. But for us "peculiar people"...and I quote James, "my brothers, this should not be so". We should always not only be ware of such randomness, not even just keep it in check, but seek to destroy it. And as it is with water, it depends on the source.

What sources are you tapping into. I don't ever understand why I have to make it so difficult sometimes, but it's only ever about the source. I tap into Him, things go well and fresh water pours...I tap into other things, out comes the bitter. It may be as simple as garbage in garbage out after all. And as for the amount of the "freshness" or "bitterness", I guess then that depends on the frequency of the tap.

Let's altogether take more time to tap into the source. There are tons of dirty rivers. They're everywhere you look, available 24/7. But "There is a river, whose streams make glad the city of our God". Few may find it, but I remind you, it can be found.