I blew it.
The mouth of the fool pours out foolishness. I’d like to say that about the other guy, but it was me.
And the CRAZY thing about it is – I NEVER even SAID a word!
You ever get a text that sends you sideways in 2.2? Or an email that causes your eyebrows to go up so high they almost meet your hairline?
I did.
And OH the other guy was SO wrong. So my little fingers went after it. In my head protecting the right. It’s the principle of the matter, after all. If I don’t stand up, they might treat everyone like this!
We tell ourselves whatever we want to JUSTIFY our actions.
In the middle of the night I felt that scratching. You know. That kind of itchy feeling in your stomach that comes right before God mentions something to you.
“Are you really going to make someone not like you because of THIS? Is THIS really worth making someone’s face turn down when they where your name?”
Nooooooooo, but….. That’s as far as I got. I’m learning not to argue with God. It’s a waste of time. He’s always right.
So right there, at 3 am, I pick up my phone and type the email that says those words that sometimes SEEM so difficult but help most every situation.
“I was wrong. I apologize. I shouldn’t have done that.”
I though maybe I was past it. Until my morning Bible time. I grabbed my Bible, held to my chest for a moment and opened it to read. Right to Proverbs 15.
A soft and gentle and thoughtful answer turns away wrath,
But harsh and painful and careless words stir up anger.
The tongue of the wise speaks knowledge that is pleasing and acceptable,
But the [babbling] mouth of fools spouts folly.
The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Watching the evil and the good [in all their endeavors].
A soothing tongue [speaking words that build up and encourage] is a tree of life
But a perversive tongue [speaking words that overwhelm and depress] crushes the spirit.
I have read it everyday since. Gotta train that tongue (and fingers and thumbs) if I want to a be tree of life. One that God can trust with anything.
So, I just put my business out there ‘cause I thought it might help you get rid of an itchy feeling you might have over a situation.
Go ahead and be the bigger man and just apologize. It’s not about the other guy anyway, it’s about God being able to trust us in any situation.
Does anybody else ever send out those quick texts or emails and wish there was a button to retract them? Or words fly out of your mouth faster than you can keep them in?
First, share with us ‘me too’ in comments so we know we aren’t alone. Then read Proverbs 15 above. It will give you courage to help us be the wise knowledge-speaking person that God called us to be!
We can do this!
6 comments
Me too! Too many times, but we are all a work in progress. The part that makes me so mad at myself is when I try to teach my kids not to do this and then I do it myself lol
Me too!!! You definitely are not alone! With texting and emailing I think it makes it even easier for us to do this too often. Thanks for sharing!
I had this happen to me last year. I had a friend that got mad at me and said some not so nice things about me. So I emailed her back and I told her about all her faults and how I agreed with what others were saying. She replied and told me never to text or email her ever again. Although what I was saying I meant for her good the execution was very wrong and it has bothered me ever since.
“Me too!” I had to apologize to someone yesterday for something I said that was not in the right spirit. God is so merciful. And, yes you are not alone.
Me too!
This had me thinking. Proverbs 15 is powerful. The last two days at work were rough. Thank you for this message. It made me think before I speak.