I remember one afternoon many years ago, I was having one of those discussions with my son. He was around 4 years old. I was trying to get him to explain why he did something and he was crying and would not tell me. I was getting upset and a little angry, trying to figure out why he would not just tell me. After going back and forth for a few minutes, I remember saying “why can’t you just tell me?” He looks at me with tears streaming down his face and says “I don’t know the words.”
Words. The words we choose have tremendous power. They can build people up or tear a relationship apart. They can make people laugh, or bring people to their knees in sorrow. They can bring peace to the smallest infant, or they can cause great wars among nations. Unfortunately, most of us don’t take the time to think about our words before they slip out. There is a lot of power in words. The things we hear, the input we allow into our brains begins to program the way we think and feel. There have been many studies that have shown that the words we speak about ourselves are more important than the words others speak about us.
I have spent a lot of time the last several weeks thinking about the phrase “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” and using that as a filter for everything I read. James 3: 1-12 talks about taming the tongue and the power of the words we speak. When I open my mouth to speak, whose kingdom am I building? Am I trying to make myself look good or am I building others up. Unfortunately, it is easy for me to get caught up into talking about and complaining about others. When I do this, I am no longer seeing God first, rather seeking to make myself more important by putting others down.
Sometimes in conversation I get quick to speak. I love it when there is a conversation going on around me that I can actually contribute to and I know something about. That doesn’t happen very often. I like to observe people, partly because it is fun, partly for material to write about, but mostly because I have very little of much benefit that I can contribute to the conversation. Sitting quietly and observing often works to my advantage.
Proverbs says it like this:
Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. Prov 17:28
My mom used to have this conversation with me a lot (so… it isn’t a new problem for me). My mom said it like this:
If you keep your mouth shut, people won’t know how stupid you are.
Too often I say things I shouldn’t. Too often I seek my kingdom, rather that the kingdom of God. As we go through these next six and a half days, join me as I re-focus on seeking the kingdom of God and watch closely the words that I speak. Let us choose to speak life, not just to those around us, but speak life to ourselves.
Curtis
