The Tone of Things

by Shelia Gaines

Verse for Thought:
A gentle word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.  Proverbs 15:1 (NIV)

There is a scene in the movie, "Facing the Giants", where the coach accuses one of the team members of judging others by their actions and judging himself by his intentions.  It made me wonder how often we are unwilling to make any adjustments on our own.  We would like everyone to accept us for who we are and receive the things that we say and do whether we do a good job of communicating effectively or not.  It goes without saying that we will occasionally do or say something that will be taken the wrong way.  The truth is even when our intentions are good, the results do not always bear that out.  However, it is still our responsibility to show God's love in everything that we say and do.  I remember saying something to someone in jest once that changed a relationship.  I did not know that until years later.  I spent all that time believing that the statement was taken as it was given (in jest), not realizing that it was taken to heart to mean something I had never intended.
In this blog's September 13th devotion, Belinda Blevins talked about the power of words to hurt and wound.  And, as I mentioned earlier words have the power to change lives and relationships without us even knowing it.  Recently my daughter and I discussed how my responses to questions or just to situations in general do not always come across as "loving" as I intend.  So, I find myself being even more careful in how I speak and respond to what's spoken to me.  I don't always get it right and my intentions are still misunderstood sometimes. However, that has helped me to realize that sometimes my intentions are not as honorable as I think they are.
 
Let's Pray:
Dear God, help me to let this verse from Psalms 19:14 be a way of life for me and not just words.  "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight,  O Lord, my strength and my redeemer."  Amen

Take the Next Step:
Read the devotion from September and then read Proverbs 18.  Ask God for revelation on how you might apply it to your daily life.  Why not let today be the day you begin on the path of speaking life?