Forward Friday is an opportunity to look at ourselves in light of all that Easter means and I hope you'll take the journey with me over the next 6 weeks.
We are in some strange times as a civilization. We have a burgeoning war that is front and center on the world stage; but equally as important is the period of time we have lived over the past 2 years.
The lives of so many have been disrupted, destroyed, fractured over Covid and the ensuing chaos.
Maybe timing is everything as we are now on the pilgrimage to Easter. Some would call the 40 days to Easter Lent. I call it a walk, the possibility of spiritual change that not only positively affects us but those we come into contact with.
That we look at how we can grow, change, bring life and hope where there has been heartache, discord,
As we begin the journey, I wonder how we are doing with the words we speak and how we speak them? I wonder if we are stepping outside of our comfort zones to connect and work on growing or reconnecting with those whose words have caused strain and stress?
Let's Get Into This:
On the political, media front, not much has changed and the rhetoric displayed by many has caused us to become fatigued.
We know that this Covid Virus has and continues to create fatigue as so much of what we know and how we know it has been spun upside down with a few milkshake twists to boot.
My heart has been heavy as some of things that I've heard from friends and others have been just short of shocking.
Things Like:
"I don't want you around my family and business; I don't want you destroying my life!
"I hope anyone who didn't take it dies.."
"If the health tax comes in to play, I hope they throw the book at them."
"Sorry, you are not welcome in my house anymore."
"I can't forgive those who didn't do what I did; how dare they think more of themselves by not doing what the authorities said to do?"
"You're not good enough or important enough to come in here without papers; so, you'll have to stay out; sorry."
But….. Because our words matter much, what we say and how we say things are a big deal because as we know, the Words we speak have power.
Life and death comes from the words we speak so speaking wisely should be a belief for all of us to keep.
We’ll mess up from time to time but it is the intentional movement forward to be better with our words that matters and dare I say the spirit of what we say is just as important because we do pick up the vibes, good bad or otherwise.
I have been thinking about Words a lot lately and as I was going through some of Mom’s keepsakes, a heavily highlighted paper fell to the floor.
It was something that years ago Mom had been studying and working on.
Did You Know:
Abraham Lincoln’s coffin was pried open on more than one occasion?
Once in 1887, 22 years after his assassination. Why? It was not to determine if he had died of a bullet fired from John Wilkes Booth’s gun.
Then why? Because words and rumors swept the country that his coffin was empty.
A group of select witnesses observed that the words/rumor was totally false, then watched as the casket was resealed with lead.
14 years later, the martyred man’s withered body was viewed again; this time by even more witnesses for the same grim purpose!
Finally, the corpse was permanently embedded in a crypt in Springfield, Illinois.
Words can be cruel. "Don't mix bad words with our bad mood or attitude. We'll have many opportunities to change a mood, but we'll never get the opportunity to replace the words we spoke."
But by the same token, "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."
So it is no surprise that God sets out many thoughts about words and the importance of what and how we speak.
Here’s one: Let everything we say be good and helpful, so that our words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
That tongue of ours can pry open more caskets, expose more closet skeletons and stir up more toxic, scandalous dust than any other tool on the face of this earth.
So here are a few helpers to help us be better when it comes to the words we speak, hear and listen to.
It may be high time to stop listening to those who seem to use words to damage, hurt others; those that oppose their way of thinking.
We Should Be Quick To Put Ourselves In That Category If We’ve Been Doing The Same.
Caustic, belligerent words should stop with us first but I think we should also become bold enough to not allow others to, in our presence spread idle talk, “venom speak”, spew out hurtful and harmful words without some push back.
Our feelings can't rule us so it needs to be a part of us that we will not allow cryptic, shallow, mean spirited talk based on feelings be spoken in our presence.
The truth of anything is rarely veiled but it should go without saying that even with the facts in any matter, mean spirited talk should “Not” be our guide.
My ears do not need any more garbage than hits the eardrums every day that I have little or no control over. The approach for the strong is to be able to say that we do not appreciate hearing cryptic/harsh words etc.
So in light of all of this, what's my attitude going to be like? Will I seek revenge for the things people have said and done by using the same type of rhetoric used by others?
Will I stay frustrated and angry or will I be different?
Someone said this week that they will forgive those who have hurt them with such hurtful words but they will be somewhat guarded as they move forward.
It's not easy allowing simple access back into a life when trust through horrible words and actions have happened; while we must forgive for our own sakes, we must be wise in how relationships move forward.
My mind keeps hinging back to, “Are you/Dave a person that speaks grace and encourages or do I slip into the ranks of the caustic/acidic/biting/unkind?
I often pause to reflect on my words and what I’m thinking so I don’t say something I’d regret or have to apologize needlessly because I didn’t put my brain into action before the feelings got the better of me.
What we say matters to those around us and I especially believe that God who knows all, sees all and He definitely hears it all too.
In this very acerbic, volatile time we are living in, it would do us well to be a little more graceful, less mean spirited and just because we have a position on something doesn’t make us right; it just means we have an opinion.
But if that opinion causes us to do harm with our words, our actions, creates divides, cancelling, acid like with our comments and attitudes, well then we should maybe take a break from our “Side” and evaluate the measure, breath and consequences of our words.
After all, we don’t need to stir up contamination/poison with the words we speak…
If we don’t see the need for personal change and accountability for our words and how we speak them, should we expect "Goodness" from anyone else?
The Pilgrimage towards Easter; Our Words Matter; We All Can Be Better!
I’m trying; will you?
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