"Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles."
Proverbs 21:23
This is an interesting scripture, and though I'm sure that you can get into trouble without talking, it is probably a large step in the right direction. :) What we're thinking about tends to fly out of our mouths, and so part of controlling what we say is controlling what we think.
It's a popular cop out for us to believe that we can't control our thoughts, or that we can't help feeling one way or another, and although that might be true on a very shallow level... those things might cross our minds without our intention, we absolutely get to control what we dismiss and what we allow to take center stage in our minds and in our hearts, and what we say, even though it takes practice.
The goal here, to clarify, would not be to plaster a fake smile on our faces all the while we are thinking about mean things to say, or to pretend to be happy when we are sad. As with everything else God offers us, the goal is to change our hearts, not just our behavior... the idea is to get to the point where we not only refuse to say the unwise things that pop into our minds, but we also change our thought patterns so we don't have the urge to say things like that in the first place.
I'm not saying any of this is easy, mind you, or that it is some miraculous overnight change... but with God's help, it is possible to become kinder and better people, if we want to be.
Today, let's start by thinking about what we are saying, and listening to what is coming out of our mouths. If we find ourselves saying things that we regret, or saying them in a way that we regret, then let's work with God to change and improve our communication patterns so that we don't have to regret and apologize for things, but instead learn to make better choices about what to say, and who we are choosing to become. :)
Proverbs 21:23
This is an interesting scripture, and though I'm sure that you can get into trouble without talking, it is probably a large step in the right direction. :) What we're thinking about tends to fly out of our mouths, and so part of controlling what we say is controlling what we think.
It's a popular cop out for us to believe that we can't control our thoughts, or that we can't help feeling one way or another, and although that might be true on a very shallow level... those things might cross our minds without our intention, we absolutely get to control what we dismiss and what we allow to take center stage in our minds and in our hearts, and what we say, even though it takes practice.
The goal here, to clarify, would not be to plaster a fake smile on our faces all the while we are thinking about mean things to say, or to pretend to be happy when we are sad. As with everything else God offers us, the goal is to change our hearts, not just our behavior... the idea is to get to the point where we not only refuse to say the unwise things that pop into our minds, but we also change our thought patterns so we don't have the urge to say things like that in the first place.
I'm not saying any of this is easy, mind you, or that it is some miraculous overnight change... but with God's help, it is possible to become kinder and better people, if we want to be.
Today, let's start by thinking about what we are saying, and listening to what is coming out of our mouths. If we find ourselves saying things that we regret, or saying them in a way that we regret, then let's work with God to change and improve our communication patterns so that we don't have to regret and apologize for things, but instead learn to make better choices about what to say, and who we are choosing to become. :)
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