Toxic Berries

“They spout empty words

    and make covenants they don’t intend to keep.

So injustice springs up among them

    like poisonous weeds in a farmer’s field.” (Hosea 10:4 NLT) 

There is a strange plant in my garden that I cannot identify. It puts out attractive white flowers in the spring and then little berries in the summer. I took pictures of the plant and tried to search for its name online. I sent pictures to my friends who are gardeners. No one knew what it was. I finally sent the picture to an expert in botany. In a few minutes, she identified it as a Portuguese cherry laurel. Although the fruits look appealing, and the name is similar to edible cherries, the fruits of this ornamental plant are toxic if ingested. 

Similarly, certain relationships that appear interesting at first can turn out to be harmful. Identifying these characters can be complicated. They say all the right things that others want to hear.  They project personas that are often attractive, engaging, and caring. However, the words they spout are empty and insincere. They do not intend to keep the commitments they make. Their lustrous image conceals envy, selfish ambition, and chaos. Be careful not to ingest anything they offer. Their influence can be toxic.