Did you say anything yesterday that you wish you hadn’t?
Have your words gotten you in trouble?
Do you sometimes speak before you think?
Me too.
Oh boy, oh boy… me too.
Jesus often deals with me in themes; and, lately, He’s been telling me to shut my mouth.
To be still.
To hold my peace.
To not push my way or my opinion into a conversation.
To pay attention to every idle word I speak.
“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”(Matthew 12:35-37)
Wow.
That’s a pretty strong passage of scripture.
But one of the things I appreciate the most about living every day with Jesus is how He goes out of His way to speak to me.
To help me grow.
To teach me a better way.
To warn me before I get myself in a big mess.
Isn’t that just like a loving parent?
They nudge.
They admonish.
They warn.
Then, they wait patiently while we stumble and struggle to embrace the truths that they’ve known all along, and that is exactly what Jesus does.
He gently nudges us to grow in His graces.
Since I’ve been really paying attention to every idle word I speak, it is amazing how much less I have to say.
In everyday conversations, I am listening much more and praying silently for Jesus to “set a guard over my mouth” and prompt me to contribute to what’s being said only when He wants me to.
There was a priest named BrotherLawrence who wrote a book called The Practice of the Presence of God who wrote about this.
Lawrence said:“The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in a great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.”
And others said of Lawrence:“Wherever he was, the Light was there; wherever he walked was hallowed ground. He showed us how, at any moment and in any circumstance, the soul that seeks God may find Him, and practice the presence of God.”
Later in the book, Lawrence talks about every idle word and speaking only when led of God to do so.
I am nowhere near the place in my spiritual growth where I’m only speaking when God says to, but I am much more aware of what I say and am learning to pray much before reacting when I’m frustrated.
What about you my friend?
What idle words hang you up the most?
What seems easy or hard about this endeavor?
Join the conversation and leave a comment. 🙂
When we are talking too much, we don’t have time to listen to what God is saying to us. It’s better to not say anything than to say the wrong thing, but with prayer and God’s help, hopefully we can learn to say things that help others and show His love to them. Nice post, Debbie, and a great reminder!
You are so right Connie! When I do less talking and more listening I hear God so much better and I find that I’m much more willing to obey him. 😉
Had a neat experience yesterday regarding ‘every idle word’. I had been struggling with something and a particular someone for quite a long time. It seemed this person was always taking advantage of me. But I kept my mouth shut and took my grievances to God alone.
Well yesterday my closed ‘mouthness’ paid off. I was acknowledged and validated in a very personal way. If I had opened my mouth, I would have ruined everything.
Just want to give God glory for helping me and teaching me to keep my mouth shut!!
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