“Sum up at night what thou hast done by day.”
GEORGE HERBERT

Vindicate me, O LORD,
For I have walked in my integrity.
I have also trusted in the LORD;
I shall not slip.
Examine me O LORD, and prove me;
Try my mind and my heart.

PSALM 26:1-2 NKJ


When David wrote this Psalm he spoke from a heart that had examined itself and found itself to be true to God. Self-examination is the hoe that keeps the weeds from growing and allows the soil of our heart to stay broken up and ready to receive the latter rains and spiritual nourishments. Our hearts are just like gardens. We must continually work in them to keep the soil loose, and to keep the weeds from taking over. Each year I plant a vegetable garden. There is nothing like having new potatoes and green beans; fresh cucumbers and bell peppers; squash, and ripe tomatoes; and don’t forget sweet corn on the cob dripping in butter that runs all the way to your elbows. Gardens are fun to put out but can create stress and sweat if not tended to on a regular basis. I can recall times when the hot mid-summer sun beats down and tries to cook everything before it is ready. During times like this I have to provide extra water to keep the garden alive. Many times after watering I notice how the sun has a tendency to bake the earth like clay. I have noticed that the weeds seem to flourish and grow with abundance during these times. Some weeds get such a grip on life that it is almost impossible to pull them out of the hard sun-baked soil. To avoid this stress and sweat I am learning to take the hoe down to the garden and invest in a little examination. Those old tough weeds give up pretty easy when they are only one inch tall. And so it is in my life today, my character defects and shortcomings are easier to deal with when they are small and in the beginning stages of their growth. Self-examination is the tool that I must take out daily and use to keep my heart open and free of negative influences. Influences that just seem to grow like weeds if allowed. Today with the help of the Word of God, I find that God is able to do for me, what I could not do for myself…………………….JRE

“When we retire at night, we constructively review our day. Were we resentful, selfish, dishonest or afraid? Do we owe an apology? Have we kept something to ourselves which should be discussed with another person at once? Were we kind and loving toward all? What could we have done better? Were we thinking of ourselves most of the time? Or were we thinking what we could do for others, of what we could pack into the stream of life? But we must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our usefulness to others. After making our review we ask God’s forgiveness and inquire what corrective measures should be taken.”
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS page 86