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Now That’s a Mouthful!

Your speech should always be gracious and sprinkled with insight so that you may know how to respond to every person.

—Colossians 4:6

You’re speechless! Someone has just done something that surprised you and disappointed you so much, you hardly know what to say. Your first impulse is to charge in and make your appeal, let them know they crossed the line, totally messed things up, and yet . . . that isn’t really the response God is looking for.

When you take a little time to breathe, to rethink the issue, you might be able to come up with a reasonable explanation for the incident, something that will give you a place to start in repairing the relationship before a major meltdown happens. You might be able to ease up on the resentments and see a glimpse of what God sees, even in this messy bit of drama. You can choose to be gracious, to take time to think through your response so that what you say can make a positive difference to the whole situation.

When you’ve been surprised by someone’s actions or comments, it’s not easy to do the right thing, and yet, God would have you try to do so. We’re all still growing, and all we can do is thank God that he gives us room to do so. Let’s give each other that same space even when we’re tempted to give out a mouthful.

Think—pray—before responding to hurtful comments.

QUIET THE WAVES

Lord, you know it isn’t easy to be quiet when my feelings are hurt. Please help me remember your incredible kindness to me when I’m tempted to say more than is gracious to someone else. Amen.