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Difficulties In Taming Tongues


There have been  many times when all I wanted to do was speak the first words that came to my mind, Never giving any thought to what those words were or what damage they would do.
As my inner voice pleaded with me, yelled at me and shouted  from within......
" Stacey this is not a good idea" ....
I did it anyway.   ~sigh~
Sadly I had reacted to my emotions.
My hurt feelings....
My anger...........
And my frustrations.
In doing so, regardless of what the individual had done to me, I had now damaged their heart, hurt more feelings and tore their self worth in two just has mine had been.
Now my inner voice is softly saying to me...
" Two wrongs do not make a right Stacey"
And within minutes I feel horrible for reacting and not responding.
The damage has been done and I can not take back my words.

Having those emotions are a normal part of life. We all get hurt, angry and frustrated. No one is ever excluded from having them. 
However it's how we deal with them is what determines our outcome. 
Our words will set the course for our lives.

James 3:5 
Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 

A small spark can bring an entire forest to ruins and one word from a un-taming tongue can destroy the heart of  man if spoken in malice and deceit. It takes years for a forest to be restored back to it's natural habitat, it also can take years  or what can seem like a  life time for a heart to be restored to it's entirety.
It wasn't  long ago I had an individual speak  to me with such horrendous negativity and spiteful words  I could feel the spark they wanted to set from all the pain in their life trying to produce a blazing fire in mine.
The old me from years ago reared her ugly head and was preparing to speak the first words that came to mind. I could feel the pain in my heart dripping with sarcastic retaliation and cloaked in anger.
I was covered in broken vengeance.
 Taking a deep breath, OK I took several, opened my mouth to speak when my inner voice chimed in; I heard these words..... 

Proverbs 18:21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

At that moment I had a choice to speak life or death into the situation.
To respond or react......
To tame my tongue or let it fly loosely and aggressively.
It was hard  for me to not speak from a place of hurt, however I mustered all the strength I had, gave it to my daddy God and responded in truth and as much love as I could.
I am not saying my heart still did not hurt because it did.
And when the words from that person resurface in my heart and mind, I still have the lingering sting of pain.
 But the fruit I am eating is full of mercy and grace .
It is catered with the sweetness of unconditional love.
It is severed with the Balm Of Gilead for my healing.
And topped off with a double size portion of forgiveness.

Taming my tongue is difficult but not impossible.
  Before I speak, I ask myself a few questions.
 Are your words truth?
Are they words of vengeance?
Words intended only to hurt?
Will they defuse the situation or ignite it more?
Are they words of healing?
Do my words show love and grace?

I have learned when I respond in love, it melts the hearts of my enemies.
I may not succeed on every occasion but try I do. 
And when I fail it is my daddy God, in his correction, who gives me the wisdom and the strength to make peace.
Are you having a difficult time taming your tongue?

Difficulties In Taming Tongues~

Xoxoxo
Stacey

James 3:18
Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. 



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