Innocence. The Sword Which Turns Upon Itself
Matthew 10:26
"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."
Trustworthiness is dependent upon innocence. There is of course an innocence which is perceived by and toward others. It is even more necessary in the pursuit of Truth. This is because internal motivations can cause self deceit. This requires self-examination. Trustworthiness is necessary in spreading the Gospel.
There is a kind of stupidity of the innocent, ie. the dove. It is also called simplicity. The dove does not fear anything, until danger is upon it, at which point it flees. It doesn't try to hide itself.
The serpent, on the other hand, knows good and evil and therefore the danger to itself. It is aware of its nakedness and vulnerability, and therefore hyper vigilant. It fixates on prey or enemy and prefers to hide itself by camouflage or concealment.
Both attributes are necessary, even though they exist as an apparent dichotomy.
The self-aware can return to the place of innocence if it encounters the sword which turns upon itself. This is, in this context, self criticism. This is the Word, which is likened to a sword proceeding from the mouth of Christ, the Sword of the Spirit, and "Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart". It continually turns upon it's wielder in order to find whether they are true and reflects the nature of all. In that way it is also like a mirror.
This is the sword which proceeded from Mary and turned also upon her.
Luke 2:35 "(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
This is not accomplished by mere recitation of the words, but examination according to the Word.
β¦
Difficult tasks also require a repeated chewing if the cud in order to reduce the "tough" down to its essence. This requires patience.