The briar patch.

Living in a small town in the foothills of Appalachia brought me many wonderful memories.

Even though the little town of Kermit, WV was considered a city, to me it was a country paradise.

From climbing trees to walking to the top of man’s face rock, this was where I found joy, peace and an unmitigated sense of family.

My niece and I were often found high in the mulberry tree, which was our ‘girls only’ fort, or on the hill behind the house, exploring the bugs and animals that roamed about.

On one particular day, we decided that it would be so cool to jump from the top of the knoll to a small bush, just a few feet below. You know, like Superman does on the tv.

What we didn’t take into account was that the small bush was a rose bush, thorns and all.

I can’t actually recall the conversation between us, but somehow, I was the one who was elected to jump first.

As expected, I leaped into the thorny patch below, landing bluntly in the spiky thicket, cape and all.

The briar patch can resemble our lives. The Bible warns us of false prophets; people saying they’re preaching from the Bible, but in essence, using their own thought-up stories.

Read the Bible for yourself and don’t get caught in the briar patch, wondering what went wrong.

Psalm 1:1-2 - “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”