Camp out in Positivity

 Unfortunately, a scene that’s played out one too many times in my home is that I walk in after being gone from the day and I see the trash wrappers left out, then I see the snack boxes left out and the cabinet doors left open. I see the dirty dishes over flooding my sink and counter. I see gym bags, sports equipment, socks and cleats that belong outside strung across the floor. My mind begins to fill with dark thoughts of how they never listen to me, or how they don’t care about my time and if all I ever get to do is work and never rest. My dark thoughts fuel my internal steam engine. My nostrils begin to flare, steam spouts from my ears, and then I blow! What comes from my mouth is not gentle training, but brow beating, shaming, and guilting. If only I could be “slow to speak” as God encourages because now as I see their reaction to my outburst I can see I’ve gone over the top. Should of reigned it in more. If in patience and love I would of trained responsibility instead of blaming selfishness then I would of seen the fruit of ownership in my words instead of the hurt in my overreacting.   “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Prov 18:21)

We are the only part of God’s creation that He gave the power of speech too. God spoke the world into existence and fashioned in his image, he compares our tongues and the power to speak to a sword (“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” Prov 12:18). We can most assuredly cut with it, and it’s wounds and scars are sometimes life long, but what happens before our swords are drawn in battle and we begin to slash is our thoughts have told us we are under attack. The battle begins in our thundering thoughts and that is when the sword can be kept in its hilt. If we will take a moment to examine the thoughts calling out for our immediate retaliation, then often times we can call them back and gain reason.   Where we camp out in our thoughts and in our minds will determine what we say and how we act. “From the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). So let’s camp out in positivity, thinking the best of others in our lives not the worst. Let’s camp out in the truth of what God says about us as his beloved children that He fashioned with great thought and care instead of the careless harsh words we’ve heard from the outside world.

2017/05/19 at 3:36 pm