Nip it in the bud

“In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,”

Ephesians 4:26

Nip it in the bud means to put an end to a problem or disagreement in the early stages before it becomes unmanageable. This originated from the actual act of selectively de-budding plants and trees to enhance their fruit or flowers.

One of my favorite shows of all times is “The Andy Griffith Show”. There is always a moral fiber woven into each episode regarding kindness, strong character, or just being a good person to others. Barney, the blundering deputy on the show, is infamous for saying this.

When my kids were little, they argued and fought like most kids do. Most of the time I would try to let them resolve the conflict on their own without my interference, but I would always make them apologize to one another and give each other a hug. I wanted them to solve the problem and not harbor ill feelings towards one another.

We all have conflicts with someone from time to time, especially our spouses. There is no way we can agree on every topic, we’re not wired that way. However, as adults, we can discuss our viewpoints and sometimes we just have to agree to disagree. In the 39 years of marriage, I can count on one hand how many times we’ve gone to bed mad at one another.

I love the word enhance, according to Oxford Languages, it literally means to increase, intensify, to improve the quality of. God sent Jesus because of his immense love he has for us, to improve our lives, and make us better. Just as the horticulturalist trims off the buds to enhance the yield, God empowers us with the Holy Spirit to enhance our lives.

When we nip the arguments in the bud, they don't have time to fester and grow into resentment. When we are grounded in the word, trivial things don’t seem to matter as much because we are focused on things that are eternal. There are quite a few scriptures that talk about arguing specifically, one of my favorites is, “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.” 2 Timothy 2:23.