Separating the Chaff

 

“He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat.” (Matthew 3:12 NLT)

 

When I was a young girl in India, I used to watch my grandma process the grain after harvest. She used a winnowing tray to separate the chaff from the grain. Her technique seemed mysterious to me. First, she spread out the mix of unprocessed grain. With a flick of her wrists, she would shake the winnowing tray, throw the grain up in the air, pull back her arms a smidge, and catch whatever fell back. Her movements were rhythmic, repetitive, and intentional. The heavier grain would land back on the tray quickly. The lighter chaff floated back a second later, but she would have pulled back the winnowing tray by then. The result was that the chaff ended up on the floor while the good grain remained in the tray. My grandma spent time and energy processing the good from the worthless. After all this work, I can’t imagine she would ever sweep up the chaff and mix it back up with the good grain!

 

For decades, my life was a mix of substantive essentials and worthless fillers. Separating the chaff from the grain seemed like too much effort; plus, the fillers gave off the illusion of a bigger lifestyle. In recent years, I have realized the harm in continuing this delusion. Thus, now I process my thoughts carefully. I sift through my choices, motivations, actions, attitudes, and influences intentionally. I spread them out, shake them, turn them over, and retrieve the heftier essentials. What is meaningful? Why is it valuable? What is superficial? What void am I attempting to fill with husks?  Every time I pull back, some of the frivolous dust falls away. I repeat the winnowing continually. This takes time and energy. I hope to never go back to mixing up the chaff and the grain.