Filtered life: burn the chaff, store the wheat
Martha Olawale
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” 1 John 4:1
I always have extra filters ready before the red light on my water jugs or fridge turns on. Knowing that many things may be invisible to my eyes makes it difficult to imagine being caught off guard and drinking unfiltered water for a day. Have I ever drunk unfiltered water? More often than I’d like to remember, but something about the water going through a system that removes impurities and unnecessary elements makes me feel more comfortable because it’s simply better, believing that what I am drinking is as pure as possible.
The question is, do I apply such rigor to filtering the information I allow to predicate my actions and reactions in this very messy world? We have become so accustomed to the mob mentality that we don’t like putting in the effort to listen to the Holy Spirit. We’d rather go with the crowd or our heart than with God because with God, we have to wait and think before we act, but with the mob, we only need to blend in.
After reading an unpleasant email a while back, the first thing that came to mind was responding as my emotions dictated. I wanted to express my frustration with the person’s unkindness through every word I could write. As I began writing, pouring out my discomfort, I heard a gentle knock on my heart’s door and knew there was no way I would send that reply. So, I stopped and didn’t respond until the next day. While my eventual response was not angelic, allowing my heart to go through the filtration process with the Holy Spirit meant it was kinder than it would have been.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 says, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” We now live in a world where people hide under the shade of a particular umbrella and accept whatever is thrown at them there. We don’t want to invest time to prove or confront every issue because a collective approach is easier. We just accept the group’s stance, no matter what. However, this lazy approach to right and wrong often puts us at odds with godliness, since no man, woman, group, or local church can always get it right.
In the parable of the Sower and the seed (Matthew 13), Jesus likened the Kingdom of Heaven to a man who sows good seed in the land and has an evil man plant weeds alongside them. His advice was to burn the chaff and store the wheat. While we have little control over what grows around our hearts’ garden, it’s our responsibility to discern what goes where when we harvest. The Bible says to put the weeds in the burn pit and the wheat in the barn. It’s taxing, but it must be done to honor God in our brokenness.
Filtration takes time and may trickle at times, but you will achieve better purity in the end. If I run out of filtered water in my jug, I must wait a while to filter the faucet water. The idea that just because a response is heart-approved is okay is false, as it does not mean it’s God-approved. Before you respond to the next antagonistic and mean statement, pause to allow your humanity to filter the situation through the Holy Spirit’s lens. Giving the person, group, or situation your best shot is faster and satisfying for a second, but the joy of knowing that God’s will supersedes our pride outweighs any human gratification to eternity.
