I guess one of my goals this new year is to be in the moment, not always thinking about things in the future. I want to be very intentional about my speech and actions, slowing down and letting the Lord lead me more than I have before.
Here is a very profound quote that has really grabbed a hold of me. “People don’t always remember what you say or even what you do, but they will always remember how you make them feel.” Maya Angelou. Now I’m quoting a person I know only a little about so I can’t say I’m endorsing or not endorsing her views, but nevertheless, this is a powerful grab-you-and-shake-you-up type quote, especially if you care about people. If we confess to love the Lord, are we not called to leave people in better shape than we found them? Even if we have to rebuke our child or whomever, we shouldn’t kill them emotionally over it! We need to do it with love, only pointing out the wrong but emphasizing the love in a calm loving way. We need to respect them because God created them. God loves them regardless whether they love Him or not. I have done this for a person the world would never forgive, it wasn’t easy and I was shaking as I did it, but God pushed me to do so and gave me the strength. I was not hated or shunned by this person, surprisingly, I was respected and treated well. Note: Don’t ever do these things without prayer before and as you walk into this arena. Doing something like this without God, could end poorly.
Well just so you know, I write about a lot of things I know something about, things I have experienced or observed in some way or another. So, NO I have never thought of myself as perfect, I will never be anywhere close to perfect until I walk through those pearly gates and I’m perfected by Jesus. So, for anyone I have hurt in anyway, I just want to apologize right now. I am sorry! I am a work in progress like many of you. That’s why this year my goal is to slow down, be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. Only with God’s help can I achieve this goal.
James 1:19 NLT Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
Proverbs 15:1NIV15 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
One thing a human does very well is to jump to conclusions. Often when we do this, we get offended easily when often there is no reason to do so. We find ourselves upset or sometime we do or say something stupid things when we really don’t know the whole story.
Matthew 7:12 NLT The Golden Rule “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.
So why do we jump to conclusions so fast? Is our fuse short? Do we walk around looking for things to get upset about? Or do we want to see the bad instead of the good in others? I believe often it has nothing to do with the other person at all, it has to do with some other unresolved issue within ourselves that’s just burning to make its way out of us in anger and nastiness. If you have ever been divorced or hurt by someone in the past, there’s probably something unresolved that surfaces and becomes fall out on another person. Yep, know it well! Unresolved issues may take many sessions with the Lord to be able to leave them behind. We may have acquired a spirit of anger and offense that we need to verbally reject and have the Lord rebuke. It is probably going to take some work. It’s going to take some humility also to forgive and leave the anger in God’s hands not in our heart and mind. Pride will definitely get in the way of this especially when these offences are not our fault. It’s not easy but many of us may need to humble ourselves before God so we can free ourselves. I talked about this the last blog, not taking our garbage into the new year or any new relationship. It’s toxic and it will ruin many wonderful things in our lives and relationships.
Proverbs 16:24 NLT Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
So, be the bee that makes honey not the bee that stings. As the saying goes you draw more flies with honey than vinegar. So, draw people to the light of Jesus that lives in you by the honey Christ deposited in your soul when you asked Him into your heart. In the end when we come face to face with our Lord, it will not be about whether we won or lost but how we played the game of life.
Prayer
Lord, help us to be mindful and intentional in our speech and actions. May we think before we leap. Oh Lord this will be hard, so help us. We are quick to react and slow to be quiet and calm. Help us turn that around and be slow to speak but quick to listen. Help us be mindful about people and their situations. Show us how to live a loving and intentional life pointing people to the only true source of love and joy, you Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.
God Bless,
Sally
A music blessing for you, Out Of My Hands, by Jeremy Camp
