Say What?

Lately, I've been reading a book by Lysa TerKeurst called Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl.  As a side note, this is the second book of hers that I have read, and I would definitely recommend that you look into her books if you are a woman who wants to grow deeper in your relationship with God.  Getting back to my main point, I was reading through chapter nine when one of the sentences jumped out at me.  Since that moment, God has been laying it on my heart that I should write about this particular sentence:

"Use your words to validate your relationship with the Lord, not negate it."

As I took in these words, I was struck by how much truth they hold.  Words have so much value and can be used to build up or to tear down.  When I was a child, I would always hear the phrase "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."  That simply is not true.  The words I say have the power to deeply harm others.  It is so important that I am careful with my words.  This includes what I tell myself as well as what I say to others and does not exclude anything that I put into writing or post online.

Keeping those things in mind, I would like to dive a little deeper into Lysa's challenge.  I'm going to start with the last part of the sentence.  Make sure that the way you use your words does not negate the relationship you have with the Lord.  This requires some honest self-evaluation.
- How do I treat others?
- Do I use a respectful tone?
- Am I letting coarse jokes slip from my lips?
- Is cursing a part of my speech pattern?
- Do my words build others up or do they tear others down?
- Would I speak differently if I imagined that God was participating in the conversation?
These are just a few of the questions that can be used to monitor our words.  It may not be easy, but it is so important to filter what we say.  If our words do not show that we are in a relationship with God, then others may be influenced to turn away from Him.  As Christians, we represent God to those around us.  We are responsible for showing His love to others, and that often comes in the form of words spoken during a conversation.  As one who can be very quiet, I know how precious words can be.  The few words I speak are usually chosen carefully, but I feel deep regret every time I utter the wrong words.  I never desire for the power of my words to be used in any way that is not uplifting.  This brings me to the next part of the challenge.

Not only should we be careful not to say certain things, but we should also be more intentional about saying positive things.  Lysa's command was not simply to talk about God all the time.  While it is good to do that, we also should be showing that we are Christians as we go about our daily lives.  To me, this means that I should strive to focus on the positive aspects of my day.  It can be very tempting to complain, but I have to remind myself of all the good things that God has given me.  As I redirect my perspective, my attitude changes to one that better resembles something that Christ might be proud of.  Another practical application for this challenge is to actively build others up.  I could complement people more often.  I could send an encouraging note to a friend.  I could let people know that I truly care for them.  There are endless ways to put this challenge into action in our daily lives.  So I will end by doing just that.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for taking this journey with me.  I am grateful for every one of you.  May God bless you and pull you closer to Himself every day.

Who? What? When? Where?

Sometimes life is just hard, and we find ourselves asking "why?"  Why did this happen?  Why did things turn out like that?  Why did it have to be me?  It's natural for us to ask these questions.  We want to know everything, and we want to know the reason for everything.  Sometimes, the unknowns can drive us crazy.  We tend to think that we will feel better or have closure if we just get an answer to this one simple question.  However, I don't think it is that simple.  I have two thoughts about this question that come from completely different angles.

My first idea is that asking "why?" can be helpful.  Sometimes we are fortunate enough to find an answer to why things happen.  When this occurs, having those answers can help us to make sense of some difficult things in life.  I think about it sort of like a puzzle.  At first you just have this one piece that doesn't make any sense, but after gathering more pieces, you have a clearer picture of your situation.  In this way, finding answers to this question can bring understanding, perspective, or closure.  This helps us to move past our uncertainty.  I believe that it also gives us some insight into how God works in our lives.  It is always amazing to look back on an event or situation and see how He had the entire plan in mind when we were still in the dark.

My second thought about this pesky question is that it can be quite detrimental.  Oftentimes, once it has entered our minds, we cannot stop asking "why?"  The question remains until we have an answer.  The problem here is that we don't always get an answer.  There are some things that we will never understand.  If we allow this to bother us, it can cause doubt to creep into our minds.  This is where trust comes into the picture.  I have found that I really don't need all of my questions answered because I know that God has a plan.  I have confidence in the fact that God is good and that He loves us more than we can imagine.  I also believe that He works for the good of those who love Him.  With that in mind, I can fearlessly say that I don't know why certain things happen.  I will never have all of the answers, and I think there is probably a reason for that too.  God has given me the confidence to be comfortable with ignorance.  Instead of asking Him why something has occurred in my life, I choose to trust His unfailing judgment.