Day 16 - The Harsh Tongue

Day 16 - The Harsh Tongue OUCH!

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Pro 15:1

Got to love the proverbs! If you read one for each day of the month, you will have read through the whole book 12 times in one year. There is a lot of wisdom there to gain and use.

Have you ever had to tell someone the truth? Did you do it with love or did you tell them harshly? Have you tried to tell someone, softly, that they were wrong, incompetent, or a bad fit for a job? Did they not get it until you just laid it out in plain, non-flowery language?

I've had to do all of these things. Truth telling is good; but HOW we tell it is most important. Proverbs 31:26 says, "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness." Speaking kindly is a core principle of the Proverbs 31 Woman. There is never any justification for being harsh or unkind in our communication.

We must choose words that are warmhearted, understanding and sympathetic. The same mercy and grace that God has shown us is the same grace and mercy with which we must speak. It doesn't mean that we are to just turn away or ignore problems and problem people!

We must always go to God in prayer and ask His guidance and the Holy Spirit to give us the words to heal the situation. God says, "so is my word that goes out from my mouth; it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11.

There are degrees of harshness. Harsh words never die, they impact a person for a lifetime. As I ask God to heal me, use me, clean me up He is revealing so much to me. A lot of the lies I believe about myself are because of harsh words. I remember being called "spastic" as a young girl. I did tend to fall and break things and I just figured that was my fate. I believed that I COULD NOT excel in mechanical things--fixing simple household items, understanding how a mechanical item worked, putting-up simple curtains, etc., etc.

This has manifested itself in many choices I have made in my life. It has caused me to veer in ways I didn't necessarily want to because I could always hear "spastic" in the depth of my mind. Let me tell you--this was a recent discovery by me. You know what I did? I said, 'I am not a spastic; I have the capacity to learn and put together mechanical things. I am not clumsy, I do not fall and break things more than other people do.' After this declaration, I told Ced and he (who has always believed I can DO ANYTHING!!!) encouraged me. I picked up a towel bar that had to be put together and placed over the shower stall--it was sitting there for over a year!

Guess what? I did it! I believed I could and I did it. Hallelujah! The other outcome of being called a 'spastic'? I have a harsh tongue. I have little patience and tolerance when someone can't do something right the first time. I speak harshly when someone asks me something that I believe is so clear! Lord, deliver me from evil and clean my tongue. "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit is better than he who takes a city." Pro 16:32.

Make a decision today not to cut anymore--once your tongue cuts that branch, it cannot be sown back into the tree of the person who was hurt. By the power of the Holy Spirit, you can heal, you can control, you can be delivered from harshness coming out of your mouth. We are victorious and kindness is part of my character--it is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit living within me.

Affirmation: I open my mouth with wisdom. The law of kindness is on my tongue. Amen

Peace and love and kindness, Sister Lisa