“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

Luke 6:43-45

Yesterday a nurse practitioner friend listened to one of her patients describe what she (the patient) is experiencing currently. The patient described her anxieties and fears and her general outlook on life, the the nurse practitioner commented, “You’re kind of a glass half-empty person, aren’t you?”

What about you? Me? How would someone else describe the words that come out of my mouth?

That’s the point Jesus brings out in the word picture above. Figs and grapes were common examples of fruit in Israel and so everyone knew the source of those good fruits, but they also knew the source of thorns and thistle. The passage above continues Jesus’ instruction on evaluating yourself, before trying to help other people.

In the same way our words reveal much about us. Maybe today is a good day for some self-evaluation?