Day 332- Measure Your Words
📖Daily Reading
James 3
🎥 Video
Join me on my morning walk as we rise and shine together by walking through the Bible daily and learn a practical applicable coaching nugget from the ultimate life coach - our creator (whatever that means to you). No judgement zone here, all are welcome, we are all on a spiritual journey because we are after all spiritual beings having a human experience.
📝 Reflection
James 3: 3-5
“We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.”
What sets mankind apart from the rest of the animal kingdom is the power to think and put our thoughts into words. We can cause all kinds of problems for ourselves and others through the words that come out of our mouths. We have the power to build up, the power to neutralize and the power to destroy and tear down.
This is even more true now in our modern age of social media and even the power of ‘likes’ and emoji’s. People can mistake symbols and non-action on social media for words. We read between the lines and make stories of meaning in our heads. It is crazy making and we have a lot of evidence of that in our world.
So here we have ancient wisdom that is more useful and practical than ever before. Think before you speak, measure your words and take responsibility for the impact, strength and weight that they might have. Many abdicate this responsibility with justifications like; ‘that’s not what I meant’, ‘it’s not my problem if my words get taken the wrong way’, ‘I’m just being honest, do you want me to lie?’.
On the surface all of these statements seem true. But you always know the motive of your own heart. It is true that we can’t control how our words are received. It is good to be honest. But there is a filter we can put our words through, or a scale we can put our heart on and weigh our motives and consequences of how our words might ‘land’ on others. We are intelligent and we do have the ability to ask ourselves a few questions before we just let our tongues go.
Is what we have to say useful in a good way. What are our motives, are you angry feeling betrayed, are you making assumptions? Is it really true in the broader sense or is it your subjective opinion or preference, and then this type of check in can circle you back to other questions. Does it build up you and others involved? Will it be tearing down? Is it constructive feedback or lashing out to hurt? Is it your ego feeling bruised, are you taking things personally? Are you making circumstances, situations, and relationships all about you? Do you have the ability to step outside of yourself and see other points of view. Can you see yourself and your motives honestly? Play the story forward, will your words help you stay connected in a healthy way or will they damage this connection? The key question here is ‘healthy’.
Many of us are not in healthy relationships, we don’t even know how to be, we have never been taught. This is part of the practicality of the Bible. It will teach you, it will heal you, it will show you how to begin this process and stay on the path your whole life if you stay in the word. It will help you understand that what ever you have on the inside of you, is what you send out into the world and gets reflected back to you.
Measuring your words is one very powerful way to begin to heal yourself from the inside out. Listen before you speak. Don’t take things personally, don’t make assumptions. Don’t speak out of anger, bitterness, jealously, envy, pride, lust and so on. Cultivate the skill of being slow, thoughtful and measure before you speak. Weigh your words carefully. This is intelligent. It is a sign of mental laziness, carelessness to spout of what ever is on your mind and or heart. It is irresponsible and often cruel.
The tongue has the power to cut like a sword. Anyone who has ever been in the customer service world, knows that it takes only 1 negative review to take out many positive reviews. ON social media, we can have 100 positive comments, but if there is even 1 negative one, we will naturally focus on that one. We humans are wired this way. All humans deserve respect, you deserve to honor yourself and speak respectfully to yourself and others. God is in all of us, not just your ‘friend list’.
The good news here is that there is always opportunity to repent, repair and redeem. So if you are human like I am. We are going to say things that are hurtful intentionally and unintentionally. When you are made aware of it by your own conscience and heart or by another’s, humble yourself immediately and own your part in it. Humble pie is bitter tasting at first, but you will not only aquire a taste for it, the more you ‘eat’ it, the more you will crave it!
✍🏼Daily Journal Prompt
How can you practice measuring your words more today and going forward? If you have been lazy with your words recently with someone what can you do to begin the repair process?
📖Tomorrows Reading
James 4
Coaching Opportunity
My inaugural OWN IT! For Good! group & 1:1 coaching is well underway and it is amazing. The participants are absolutely loving it and experiencing major aha's, break throughs and life changing mindset shifts. Please let me know if you are interested in experiencing this as well, I am considering kicking off another group in January of 2023. Let's make 2023 the year of YOU by laying a solid foundational mind set! The world needs what only you have to offer! Give yourself the best gift ever, the best version of you is ready to rise & shine!
Book your free📞Wake Up Call today to learn if this is what you have been waiting for!
If you have stuck with me this far, then you are not reading this by accident, I believe God has a plan for you and is calling you forward!😉🤩
CONNECT WITH ME
Subscribe to Rise & Shine✨Together Daily Encouragement
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/felecia.b.holmes (personal)
Rise & Shine Together Private Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1093183278239989
You Tube: Rise & Shine Playlist
|