Reason #728
I started a new bible study tonight. It's called Conversation Peace, and it's about learning to use your words to build up. Strategies on how to have edifying and encouraging conversations. Because let's face it, we're all prone to share a little gossip every now and then and throw out a cutting word when feeling threatened. And so I'll admit it, I need this study. I say a lot of words every single day, and while I've tried to learn to choose them wisely, there are plenty of things I wish I could take back. Honestly, there are even things I've said to my closest confidants in private, things no one else would ever find out about, and I realize those count, too. Words in secret, words in public, written words, spoken words, and thought out words. Words matter.
Tonight, the lesson was over taming the tongue. Again, guilty as charged. My tongue has run rampant a time or two, and I haven't always been disciplined in pointing it in the right direction. And see, sometimes we don't even realize we are doing it. Sometimes, we do, but a lot of times it just came out wrong. The communication lines got crossed and we didn't mean it the way it sounded. But that's how words work. Even if we don't mean them to come out in a certain manner, it's hard to correct the damage afterwards. And tonight, I not only thought about how important it is to be careful with the words we say, but I thought about how hard it is to get over some of the words we hear.
The Lord has really taught me a lot about the impact of words over the past few years. Truthfully, I never really understood how lasting the damage from words could be until I was the target. Until words were unleashed on me in a fury, I didn't realize the significance they held. I remember Counselor Mark talking to me about conversation one time, and he reminded me not to say anything I would want to take back at a later date. I kept this piece of valuable information tucked away and I realized that if I got in a tough conversation, I shouldn't say anything I wouldn't want to have to repeated to someone else. And, if my repeated words would shock the third party listener, I needed to keep them to myself. Because let me just say, word travels, especially the words you don't want to get out.
And so sometimes it's really hard to forget those negative words. Even when you understand where those words were coming from, it doesn't lessen the sting. Sometimes, it's easy to remember those hurtful things, as much as we hate to, and to hold them against the say-er. But just as we have the choice of what words we will use, we also have the choice of what words we hang on to and which ones we let go.
So let go of them. Move on. Don't dwell on them, and don't relive them. Because at one point or another, we've been the say-er or words. No one walks free from this one. Yet freedom can be found because He came to set us free, and that includes the bondage of words. And because of that, we have the freedom to forgive and to move on. Because of that, we have the freedom to let those words go and not let them tie us down or hold us back any longer.
Choose your words wisely. Listen closely, listen carefully, and choose to hang on to the good.
#728 - Because His words are good.
"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" - Psalm 119:103
Tonight, the lesson was over taming the tongue. Again, guilty as charged. My tongue has run rampant a time or two, and I haven't always been disciplined in pointing it in the right direction. And see, sometimes we don't even realize we are doing it. Sometimes, we do, but a lot of times it just came out wrong. The communication lines got crossed and we didn't mean it the way it sounded. But that's how words work. Even if we don't mean them to come out in a certain manner, it's hard to correct the damage afterwards. And tonight, I not only thought about how important it is to be careful with the words we say, but I thought about how hard it is to get over some of the words we hear.
The Lord has really taught me a lot about the impact of words over the past few years. Truthfully, I never really understood how lasting the damage from words could be until I was the target. Until words were unleashed on me in a fury, I didn't realize the significance they held. I remember Counselor Mark talking to me about conversation one time, and he reminded me not to say anything I would want to take back at a later date. I kept this piece of valuable information tucked away and I realized that if I got in a tough conversation, I shouldn't say anything I wouldn't want to have to repeated to someone else. And, if my repeated words would shock the third party listener, I needed to keep them to myself. Because let me just say, word travels, especially the words you don't want to get out.
And so sometimes it's really hard to forget those negative words. Even when you understand where those words were coming from, it doesn't lessen the sting. Sometimes, it's easy to remember those hurtful things, as much as we hate to, and to hold them against the say-er. But just as we have the choice of what words we will use, we also have the choice of what words we hang on to and which ones we let go.
So let go of them. Move on. Don't dwell on them, and don't relive them. Because at one point or another, we've been the say-er or words. No one walks free from this one. Yet freedom can be found because He came to set us free, and that includes the bondage of words. And because of that, we have the freedom to forgive and to move on. Because of that, we have the freedom to let those words go and not let them tie us down or hold us back any longer.
Choose your words wisely. Listen closely, listen carefully, and choose to hang on to the good.
#728 - Because His words are good.
"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" - Psalm 119:103
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