All the ladies oohed and ahhed over an exotic water flower with an orchid-like bloom that came from Venezuela. Even the name smelled good--the water hyacinth. Thousands of lady visitors sneaked little slips of the plant into their handbags and took them home, praying they would take root in some spot of their own damp Louisiana yards.

The prayers were answered. Before many years, it became evident that the water hyacinth was not only going to survive--it might even take over every water channel in the South! Soon rivers and canals were solid water hyacinths from bank to bank.

A little too late, horticulturists found that each plant produces a thousand little water hyacinths every two months! Because pieces break off and float down the river, they can even transplant themselves with no help at all.

What a profound parallel to the way sin comes into our lives. A simple phone call. A drink at a party. Growing resentment over a tiny slight. A callused attitude toward people with less opportunities than you or I have. Such small, insignificant things. But watch out when they take root. The human heart is fertile soil for everything that is twisted, distorted, evil. Every student of human behavior knows it is true.

We need to keep our souls pure, and remember God is eager to forgive when we fail.

Ron Newhouse