My Sword

On a recent trip to Mexico to visit my brother, one thing I wanted to be sure to purchase was a machete. I always think they're so neat looking! I found one just the right size. The price included a nice leather case, so I snatched it up. Making sure to pack it in my check-in bag, I sat down to sharpen it myself when I got back.


When I went to show it around to my friends, they just looked at me and shook their heads. They kept asking, "What are you going to do with that?" Ok, so it's not normal to carry around machetes in the US but I like it. It reminds me of a sword. Speaking of swords, I have a small one of those too but that one is not sharpened. It's a swashbuckling-looking one with about a 12-14 in blade. I know. I'm strange. But what can I say? It's the Warrior Princess in me!


I think my fascination started a couple years ago when I started realizing what swords represented in the Bible. Ready for a quick game of connect the dots? Here we go!

• Ephesians 6:17 "Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God."
• Revelation 19:15 "Coming out of his [Jesus'] mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations." 
• Hebrews 4:12 "For the word fo God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword."

The Word of God. This is our sword! It's not just the word of God though. Our words are powerful too!

• Isaiah 49:2 "He has made my mouth like a sharpened sword."
• Proverbs 12:18 "The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing."

My sword. God's been challenging me to use it more intentionally lately. Whether it is spoken or written, my words can bring life and healing to those around me. God gave a me a scripture a while back that always encourages me in this. 

• Isaiah 50:4 "The Lord God has given me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word."

Think about my machete again. I can sit around and sharpen it all day but I have to learn how to use it before it will do me any good. What am I going to use it for? It could seriously hurt some people if I'm not careful but I don't plan on being reckless with it. Maybe I'll cut down some weeds with it or something. Whatever it is, I'll need practice first! 

The same goes for my words, my sword. I need to learn how to use them. I need to practice using them. I need to spend time "sharpening" them. I need to be intentional about not letting them hurt others. I need to "know how to sustain the weary one with a word." I need to have a plan. 

Hopefully that plan will include more blogging. No promises though. Regardless, it will include me paying attention to what I'm talking about with my friends. I don't want to throw around meaningless words. That doesn't mean I'll be taking everything seriously! Joy is good for the soul! It does mean I'll be careful not to speak hurtful or degrading thing. 

Philippians 4:8 gives me some good guidelines to start with:
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."

It may be talking about thoughts but "what you say flows from what is in your heart." Luke 6:45

That gives me a lot to work on! I think I'll start sharpening my sword there....