Tuesday, July 1, 2014

#whatGodsteachingmetoday

My momma taught me, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."  I believe this wholeheartedly, backing it up even with scripture...

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.
Philippians 4:8

However, yesterday during a heated discussion about this topic, the thought was presented:  "if I filter out the negative things I'm thinking and don't say them I'm not being myself." [stick a pin in that one.... we'll come back to it...]

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Two days ago I got this fabulous idea. Before I thought it completely through, I tweeted. (mistake much?)  See I thought:  each night I'm gonna tweet #whatGodsteachingmetoday


Not so bad... see on Sunday God WAS teaching me to keep my eyes in my own fence.... Throughout the day, He convicted me that my time is MUCH better spent looking in a mirror to see what I need to fix than looking out my window worrying about what others need to fix. I figured how hard can this be??? and Maybe someone else will benefit from #whatGodsteachingmetoday ???

Fast forward to last night.... I didn't wanna do it. I didn't want to tweet #whatGodsteachingmetoday....  See earlier in the day, I opened my BIG, FAT mouth and let nagging FLOW from my mouth... practically giving a 3-point sermon on what my hubby needed to fix.... (in retrospect, I coulda just applied Sunday's lesson...) So I didn't wanna tweet #whatGodsteachingmetoday because it was embarrassing.  It was supported by this verse which put me in an oh so NOT flattering light....

Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
Proverbs 25:24

 But finally, in spite of my reticence, I tweeted


[Okay... another quick pin in that thought.... I'm fixing to tie this together soon.... I PROMISE!]

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Final piece of the puzzle, as I sat at the table this a.m. filling med containers a snippy retort SPRUNG to my mind, and I BIT down on my tongue to keep it from flying out. (See I'm no dummy.... I didn't want to have to post ANOTHER humiliating tweet tonight.)

And then that thought.... that disagreeing rebuttle to my if-you-don't-have-anything-nice-to-say-don't-say-anything-at-all sermon popped into my head.... "if I filter out the negative things I'm thinking and don't say them I'm not being myself"... see THIS is what John was talking about when I gave him my 3-point sermon on positive thinking!  If we bite our tongue and filter out our negative retorts, suppressing negative words, saying only the "good things" aren't we denying our true selves? Are we being authentic? Don't we risk turning into something we're not? Are we setting ourselves up for a crisis when we hardly recognize the person we've become because we're biting back so much?  and THAT's when God showed up!  that's when he whispered to the recesses of my mind, "YES!  and that's the goal.... to become MORE like Christ and LESS like you." ouch!

Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did.
I John 2:6

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 Okay folks, I think I'm finally ready to land this plane now.... Ready to remember all those pinned thoughts???

All these things tie together into these thoughts on employing a filter. I am a HUGE proponent of employing a filter between your brain and your mouth. I do NOT believe that everything we think has to come flying out of our mouths. I think we should practice what my momma taught me,  "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." 

 It used to be a part of my positive thinking mantra:  your words have power.... think & speak positive into your life... blah blah blah.... but today I realized there is MORE to it....  by filtering out the negative.... by denying myself.... by holding back my snippy retorts.... I am allowing CHRIST to become more as I fade to the background!

He must become greater; I must become less.
John 3:30

 Now I'm not promising this is going to be my #whatGodsteachingmetoday tweet tonight.... the day is so YOUNG and there are SO many convicting moments yet to be had!  But I just wanted to share this right away in case anyone else needed to hear.... it's okay to filter yourself.... it's even okay if you become someone you hardly recognize.... as long as that someone you are becoming resembles our Savior.

Have a GREAT day everyone!  God bless.
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