John came home one afternoon this week and commented, "Hear that clicking whistle sound? that's the sound I make in the school gym when the kids come in with shirts untucked- they think it's funny!"
Soon we'll have nice smooth pavement, a street without potholes. Then I'll wipe up the grimy window sills and I will have forgotten all about the chain gang on my street.
I'm always ready with words, maybe you know that about me? I love God's good plan, the potential that my words might love, comfort, convict, refresh, challenge someone. It doesn't always happen that way. . . in fact, I'm thinking about an encounter last week when my words had the affect of noisy reverberation, akin to the paving machines on my street.
And later I confessed, "Friend, I'm sorry for my careless words."
So, I'm taking stock of my words, examining what transpired in my heart before the noisy words overflowed into awkward space. I think my words outside the particular context were fine words- kind, truthful, caring, but- I got too personal in the wrong setting that day.
Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,
but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion,
that it may give grace to those who hear (Eph 4:29)
but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion,
that it may give grace to those who hear (Eph 4:29)
An aspect of wholesome talk is that I wisely tailor my words to the occasion and to the needs of the specific hearer. And why, Oh why, am I still learning these lessons? After all, I've memorized lots of Scripture and taught all my children, like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word fitly spoken in right circumstance. (Prov 25:11)
When I step back, I see God leaning in hard- because he loves me, doing his work to restore his shattered image in me, that one day I might truly look like my beautiful Savior.
(hmmm, I can't wait. . .)
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