Our church, Crossroads in Norwalk, has been a wonderful new home for our family. We have come to enjoy new friends and fellowship and are feeling connected more than ever before. This past week Pastor Glen and his wife, Sally, paid for half of the subscription to an amazing collection of bible studies online for the entire church family. This subscription is through RightNow Media and it has an app and everything.
Gavin, Nehemiah and I watched a great study entitled, "Watch Your Mouth." We had a wonderful discussion about the power of our tongues, and the ways we destroy or build up those around us. I was overcome with guilt as I thought about all the ways I have harmed or hurt others with my words in the past. I confess I have had problems with profanity, careless insults or inappropriate comments. Another area I acknowledge as a weakness for me is gossiping. Dave Ramsey defines it as talking to someone about someone else or venting a problem when that individual has no power to help you solve it. Even listening to the words of others, and not asking them to stop sharing information I cannot help them with, is allowing gossip to destroy others. I am sure other mothers can relate to another area where I feel convicted. Shouting or speaking in a stressed tone when I feel rushed or angry. We all do it, but after watching this video tonight I know I can do a better job of keeping my "lion caged" in my mouth.
After sharing our weaknesses, Gavin, Nehemiah and I, discussed what the Bible says about the power of words. We talked about ways to improve and will be relying on God and each other to help hold us accountable. I started to wonder what others see and hear from me. How can my words and heart be shaped in a way that can bless instead of harm? I thought about social media, as it is a place many go to vent and rant. I decided to scroll through my own Facebook feed and copy and paste my entire last month of posts into a word cloud. This would give me a visual of what I say in the virtual world as well. The bigger a word appears the more it was used. My big words are God, Love, First Day School (hmmm August), Lily, Aunt, Blessed, Mom, Wonderful and babies. I was pleasantly surprised and hope to use this to inspire me to share my heart through my words.
I challenge you to try this strategy to see what you say most in the world of social media. We have to be careful of what we say. After all, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me," is a total lie. Words can hurt, and they have power beyond the moment they come out of your mouth. So, think about how your words will impact the world around you before you speak them or type them. God is the Lord of my tongue, who is the ruler of yours?
Gavin, Nehemiah and I watched a great study entitled, "Watch Your Mouth." We had a wonderful discussion about the power of our tongues, and the ways we destroy or build up those around us. I was overcome with guilt as I thought about all the ways I have harmed or hurt others with my words in the past. I confess I have had problems with profanity, careless insults or inappropriate comments. Another area I acknowledge as a weakness for me is gossiping. Dave Ramsey defines it as talking to someone about someone else or venting a problem when that individual has no power to help you solve it. Even listening to the words of others, and not asking them to stop sharing information I cannot help them with, is allowing gossip to destroy others. I am sure other mothers can relate to another area where I feel convicted. Shouting or speaking in a stressed tone when I feel rushed or angry. We all do it, but after watching this video tonight I know I can do a better job of keeping my "lion caged" in my mouth.
After sharing our weaknesses, Gavin, Nehemiah and I, discussed what the Bible says about the power of words. We talked about ways to improve and will be relying on God and each other to help hold us accountable. I started to wonder what others see and hear from me. How can my words and heart be shaped in a way that can bless instead of harm? I thought about social media, as it is a place many go to vent and rant. I decided to scroll through my own Facebook feed and copy and paste my entire last month of posts into a word cloud. This would give me a visual of what I say in the virtual world as well. The bigger a word appears the more it was used. My big words are God, Love, First Day School (hmmm August), Lily, Aunt, Blessed, Mom, Wonderful and babies. I was pleasantly surprised and hope to use this to inspire me to share my heart through my words.
I challenge you to try this strategy to see what you say most in the world of social media. We have to be careful of what we say. After all, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me," is a total lie. Words can hurt, and they have power beyond the moment they come out of your mouth. So, think about how your words will impact the world around you before you speak them or type them. God is the Lord of my tongue, who is the ruler of yours?
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