“Instead of…” "Instead of the thorn, a cypress tree will spring out of the ground; instead of a thistle, the myrtle bush—a living and lasting monument to God” (Isaiah 55:13).      It's one thing to eradicate thorns and thistles—barbed vines that encumber and impair those that pass by. It's another to see these plants turned into objects of towering strength and beauty.                    Ask God to do this for you: Ask Him to search you and show you the thorns and thistles in your speech and manner, the prickly ways that cause pain in others (Psalm 139:23,24). Ask Him to turn them into thoughts, words and acts that bless and beautify. God will do this in His own time and way, for Himself, for you and for others. It will be “a living and lasting monument” to God’s eternal goodness and grace. Wait for this. Expect it. God is able to do immeasurably more than you can imagine (Ephesians 3:20). David Roper 6.26.22