But I Have So Much To Say…..
God has me on quite a journey at the moment.
In fact, this whole year seems to be one long journey of never-ending learning. I guess that’s how life should be right? Always learning and growing, never staying the same. But this year seems to be one of exponential growth for me!
There have been some pretty major life changes this year, and I promise to share those when I have more strength to tell this part of my story, but the one thing that has been a constant for me this year is my tongue, and how it gets me in trouble!
Now, this is not a new thing for me! From when I was very young I have always used my tongue as a weapon. I never had the stature to stand up to bullies, so I retaliated with my tongue. It was my weapon of choice and I learned to wield it with might!
As I got older, the bullies may have changed in my life but my tongue never did. I used it (or so I thought) to stand up for myself and protect myself from anything the world threw at me that I didn’t like!
God has me dwelling in the Book of Proverbs an awful lot this year. He has also lead me to read some pretty good books on the subject of our tongue (2 books I would highly recommend are “30 Days to Tame Your Tongue” by Deborah Smith Pegues and “Keep It Shut” by Karen Ehman, both are brilliant and filled with Scriptual references!)
It is a journey that I am thankful to be on. I want my words to bring life and not death. I want my words to uplift and encourage, not spew forth bitterness and sorrow. I know I have a long way to go, but awareness is a huge step in the right direction.
I have always been quick to respond and always had a comment to make, even when it was not necessary or helpful. I have always had the need to be heard and make my opinion clear, but as I read Leviticus this morning, 3 small words really struck me:
“Aaron Remained Silent”
Aaron remained silent when God struck 2 of his sons dead. He didn’t say a word. (Lev 10:3)
Boy, I can tell you if that was me, I would have had a lot to say, and honestly, not all of it would have been words as sweet as honey!
But as I read those 3 simple words, it struck me the way that Aaron controlled his tongue. He said nothing. Even when tragedy struck, and I’m sure anger would have burned within him, he remained silent.
We can learn a lot from Aarons response:
When hurtful words are thrown at us. Silence.
When people speak poorly of us. Silence.
When life feels unfair. Silence.
When people gossip to us. Silence.
When we feel unjustly heard. Silence.
Now, I know there are times to use our words (with thought and wisdom) but I am learning more and more, that often, silence is golden and I don’t need a witty comeback or to try and justify my side of the story with a babbling of words.
Sometimes, silence is the best response I can give.
