Words that heal
Words and our mouths sometimes overload our buts so to speak. We can be careless with the emotions tied to the words we use when we find ourselves discouraged and tired. The work environment is a perfect place for that upheaval to happen without even thinking. Stress mounts and you have things going on in your personal life that add to the work stress and before you know it something someone said in jest is taken the wrong way and your defense mechanisms are up and you reply being hurt. A strong response to something that could have been ignored.
I have a good friend who taught me to assume positive intent in situations. By just taking those simple steps it has gotten easier and easier to not listen to the self talk that goes on in my mind. I believe we are all our worst enemies. The master enemy, Satan, is good at bombarding us with lies so we fly off the handle at the tiniest things.
Scripture tells us in James that the power of the tongue is mighty. He compares it to the rudder that turns a mighty ship, he even compares it to a fire that sets a forrest ablaze.
In James 3:8 we see this: “8 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; 10 from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. 11 Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh”.
James says the tongue is not tameable. Think about that. I can look back over my life and see so much damage caused by the words I chose to use instead of walking away and praying over a situation in business and at home. Those verses also talking about the good that can come from our tongue. We can praise and edify. We can love and help. But the converse is always there unless we desperately try to work at taming the unruliness of our words.
At work it is easy to be competitive, to be jealous of others success, to be lazy, to be less than we should be based on biblical standards and who we should ultimately work for. Our work is to be done to honor God. And our speech should be honoring as well. Think about the times you have let something slip out of your mouth quickly before you could pull it back in. How hurtful that might have been. The verse below is a way to protect your thoughts before they jump out of your mouth into words that are sharp as arrows and swords.
Philippians 4:8 (NIV): "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things".
Phillipians tells us to “think about such things.” Those things we keep thinking and ruminating about can either edify us or bring us low. Sure there are issues that need to addressed. Personalities that don’t work well together, unreasonable customers and lazy co-workers. That list could go on forever for each of us due to the things that trigger us.
I would ask you as we come to the closing of this post, to study Phillipians 4:8 and when you are stressed,tired and aggrevated to find pleasant things to think through. Pray through the difficulties and take every thought captive to Christ. Once you do this repeatedly and daily throughout the day, you will find yourself more able to conquer the day.
