Watch What You Say

I talk to myself.  A lot.

 

I talk all the time about all sorts of things.  When I'm driving, when I'm cooking, when I'm cleaning etc.  I'll have conversations about all sorts of things: reviewing things that have happened during the day.  Imagining alternative things that could have happened.  Inventing conversations with other people.

 

Most of the things I say to myself are irrelevant and unimportant. But sometimes I catch myself telling myself how stupid I am, or how I'm not good enough.  Sometimes I hear myself talking negatively and I haven't even noticed myself doing it.

 

And it always seems that the negative things stick.

 

As Vivian says in 'Pretty Woman' -

"The bad stuff is easier to believe.  You ever notice that?"

 

But the Bible tells us how important the words that we use are -

 

          "Words kill, words give life;
          they’re either poison or fruit—you choose."

 

          [Proverbs 18:21 MSG]

 

 

The words that we speak are like seeds which grow either into flowers or weeds.  What we say affects what we believe and how we treat others and ourselves.  If we are always speaking negatively to and about ourselves, we will find ourselves believing these things.

 

The bad stuff is easier to believe.  The good stuff is harder, much harder to believe.  But is also essential.

 

And it is essential that we speak the good stuff about ourselves, until we believe it.

 

 

 

 

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

I've always wondered why 'Nice' biscuits are called 'Nice'.

 

Apparently they were originally made in the French city of Nice, and were called 'Fait a Nice' biscuits.  However, this name was considered too long and so it was shortened to 'Nice'.

 

I think it would be really helpful if all food was labelled in the same way.  You would know before giving it a go whether or not it would be tasty.  Sprouts, for example, could be labelled 'inedible' and save us all a lot of time.

 

I sometimes think it would be helpful if situations or events in life, or jobs, or people had similar labels, too.  It would be clear whether or not to apply for a job or who to trust.  You could easily sort out the 'good' and the 'bad' in life.

 

But, unfortunately life doesn't come with labels. 

 

The Bible says that the only real way that we can tell what people are like is by looking at their actions.  Our actions are our labels. 

 

"Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions."

 

[Matthew 7:20 NLT] 

 

Our actions are the 'fruit' in our lives, the things by which we can be identified.  Our actions are the things that people will remember.  They will last longer in the minds of others than the things we say.

Actions speak louder than words. 

 

What are you saying?

 

 

 

Speak Up

Today, I have been without a voice.

I have got some sort of virus or infection and woke up with swollen, bright red tonsils and an inability to swallow or speak properly.

 

I can talk a bit now, but my throat's still quite sore and dry.

 

Not being able to talk properly was horrible.  I have had all of these thoughts and feelings and it feels as though they have been stuck in my throat.

 

I have been voiceless.

 

The Bible talks about those who are 'voiceless' too - about those who cannot say what they want to, or to whom no one listens.  They are the overlooked, the poor, the abandoned, the rejected.  They have been stripped of their voices and the Bible tells us that we should stand up and speak up for them.

 

        "Speak out on behalf of the voiceless,
        and for the rights of all who are vulnerable.

        Speak out in order to judge with righteousness
        and to defend the needy and the poor."

 

        [Proverbs 31:8-9 CEB]

 

 

I have been without a voice for a day, but some are voiceless for the whole of their lives. Some people never have anyone to speak up for them or stand up for them.

 

When we think of those who are 'voiceless' we imagine distant, poorer countries.  We think of strangers.  But there will be people in our own lives who don't feel listened to, who don't feel understood, who don't feel they have a voice.  And they desperately need to know that someone hears them and that someone cares. 

 

They need us to be their voice.

 

They need us to speak up.

 

 

 

 

 

The Still Small Voice

I spent this afternoon in a very noisy coffee shop with a couple of friends. The coffee shop was having the toilet fixed and the sound of the drill was deafening.

However, despite the noise, we still managed to hear each other - mostly with the help of lip-reading. We had to sit close enough to hear and to read what each other was saying. To read their lips and their facial expressions too.

We often complain about not hearing God, or not being sure of what He's saying. Often His voice can be too easily drowned out in the deafening din of life - it can be lost to the metaphorical 'drills' of life.

But how often do we draw our chairs right up to Him - as we had to do in the coffee shop - to hear what it is that He wants to say to us? How often do we look into His face so that we can read His lips and hear what it is that He is saying?

The Bible describes God's voice as being the still, small voice amidst the thunderous roar of life:

"The Lord said [to Elijah], 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.' Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

[1 Kings 19:11-12 NIV]

God doesn't usually shout.

He whispers, so that we will draw our chairs up close to be near to Him and develop an intimacy with Him.

Love Letters

I have been watching the film 'Dear John' this evening.  I joined it halfway through, so I'm not 100% sure what's happening, but I think I'm just about up to speed.

 

At the heart of the story is a young couple, separated by distance, who write to each other (or, to be properly American, write each other).

 

The letters are filled with messages of love between the couple and stories from their days.

 

When we talk about prayer, this is what I picture.  Not a stuffy ritual.  Not a list of wishes or wants.  Not a hands-together-and-eyes-shut affair.  But messages of love between us and God.

 

This is how Jesus taught us to pray -

 

“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God.  Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage.  The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.  The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant.  They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God.  Don’t fall for that nonsense.  This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.  With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply."

 

[Matthew 6:6-13 MSG]

 

When we write letters to those we love, we don't try to show off or pretend we're someone we're not.  We don't hide the truth.  We express ourselves honestly and openly.  We share our hearts and we share our love.

 

God speaks to us through prayer, but He also speaks to us through the Bible.  His Word is a love letter [there is a brilliant and beautiful description of the Bible as God's love letter to us on this website - http://www.fathersloveletter.com/text.html].

 

God loves us and wants us to know the love He has for us.  He has already written to us.

 

We simply need to open the letter.