Trimming the Hedge

The other day I walked outside our home only to notice that the bushes in the front needed trimming badly. Over the past year, I had really let them go. So, I got my electric hedge trimmer out and went after them, whacking here and there, trying to make them look more presentable. As I got to the end of the long row of bushes, the cord got hung up. I gave it a good yank, trying to stretch it just a little bit farther. As I did, the blades on the hedge trimmer sliced right through the wire to the Internet, which was dangling from the corner of the house. (In an instant, I went from the feeling of proud caretaker to a complete idiot).

It occurs to me that sometimes we do the same thing with other people. Too often, when we see an area of someone’s personality that needs a bit of trimming, we decide to get right to the task. We offer advice and criticism as if we were cutting the leaves off some bushes. (Of course, our shearing is always meant in love, and never because we don’t want to deal with the feelings of pride that exist in our own hearts…). The point is that if we are not careful with our words, we can cut into something much more valuable – the heart. The sharpness of our tongue can severe that other person’s connection to us, or to the Heavenly Father, even when we do not intend it to.

The Apostle Paul wrote “Let your speech always be with grace,…so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” (Col.4:6)

King Solomon, who was considered the wisest man alive in his day, wrote – “The wise in heart will be called understanding, And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.” (Prov. 16:21).

Unfortunately, Christians tend to forget the role of grace and understanding when focusing on how to “improve” others. We tend to get so zeroed in on what needs to be cut down, that we forget that the method of delivery is often just as important as the result. Just like the bushes, we end up carving into things we never noticed were even there.

We should remember that the act of changing a human heart belongs to God. His Spirit is the one who is best equipped for the task of trimming the rough edges off of a Christian’s personality. While at times, God does use other believers to help in the endeavor, we should exercise caution and humility when doing so. If you must say something to another believer, make it an act of grace that will keep the connections with the Heavenly Father intact.

Otherwise, you might just have to make a service call to the Almighty, so that He can repair the line. The call I made to the internet company, started like this: “I just want you to know I am an idiot.”