The Bible tells us that harsh words stir up anger and that a soft answer turns away wrath. It’s hard to remember this when I’m frustrated and angry. Some days it feels like the harsh words just roll off my tongue all on their own.
But then I wonder… do they really? Is it really that hard to remember to be kind and compassionate, or could it be that during those moments when I’m tested and tried, I’m failing the test by the choices I make?
Words are like toothpaste, once the paste comes out of the tube, there’s no way it’s going back in. In the same way a word spoken can’t be taken back. Once it’s out there–it’s out.
In her book Keep it Shut, Karen Ehman writes, “Our words are powerful, and they have consequences… Bruises fade and bones heal, but a scorched heart may take years to mend.”
And so it’s important that we harness our tongue and choose our words wisely. In the same way that a wild horse is trained and brought to submission by a wise and gentle master, we too must learn to bridle and tame our tongue.
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Tilling the Soil
Practice being slow to speak and quick to listen. Consider the weight of your words before they roll off your tongue.
Planting Hope
The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. (James 3:5, NIV)
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Darlene Schacht and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve come to learn that relationships aren’t always easy, but that marriage, the way God intended it to be, is a treasure worth fighting for.
She began her publishing journey about twelve years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.
It was also during this transition that she worked alongside actress Candace Cameron Bure to write the NYT Best-Selling book, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness. Reshaping it All was the winner of both the 2011 USA Best Book Awards and the 2012 Christian Reading Retailers Choice Awards.
Author of more than 15 books, Darlene continues to write and to minister to her readers through her blog at TimeWarpWife.com.
Connect with Darlene:
Facebook: @timewarpwife
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You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife