Hi Friends! So today we are going to finish up part 2 of my “silence ” set of posts. Originally it was not supposed to be a 2 part series but because of the nature of my week it ended up needing to be.
What happened-
Late last week I was contact by the Gastro doctor’s office to let me know there was a cancellation so my appointment in December could be moved forward to the 22nd of this month (aka Friday). Well I had no idea just what was in store …I mean I kinda did- but things changed, So I wasn’t prepared ahead of time for having a post prepped ahead for Friday.
Since being back on gluten for these tests I have been battling some serious brain fog and a serious lack in energy. Along with feeling generally icky.
All of this needed to be done in order to test for celiacs and another issue in relation to understanding why my iron is so low.
I had no idea that when I came out of the procedure that I would be told I shouldn’t post anything to the internet. I thought surely I will go home sleep off more of the anesthesia and be fine….HA NOPE! I woke up from however long I was asleep. I knew I was supposed to write about self-control…..Nothing -my brain was mush. I glanced through my list of topics and I knew that the silence post would be fitting.
I knew that choosing silence instead of forcing a post that I am pretty sure wouldn’t make any sense was the wisest choice. That post was super short but mentally was a very straining post to write. I got to the end of it. I attempted to proofread it and the words were all fuzzy and running together so I asked my hubby to proofread it for me.
What could have been a negative influence
Apparently it was a very wise idea to have him do that. There were some autocorrections that were definitely outside of my character. I made a choice to make a small post because I wanted to keep in the 100 day challenge and the write 31 days challenge. In someways it is good that I still chose to write but if I didn’t have hubby here to help me it would have been so much better to choose silence even for a mini post.
Why because that one little post could have hurt my influence. Even though no one really knew my circumstances, that doesn’t excuse a poor choice.
A Time to…
the Bible tells us that there is a time is a time to be quiet and a time to speak. (Eccl. 3:7) There have been times over the last 6 months when we have chosen complete silence, because we asked ourselves this question….
Does what we have to say build up or tear down?
Ephesians 4:29 (NLT)
29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
Matthew 12:36 (NLT)
36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.
Proverbs 18:21 (NLT)
The tongue can bring death or life;
those who love to talk will reap the consequences.1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT)
11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
Romans 14:19 (NLT)
19 So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
And I could keep going! Studying ones speech in Scripture is very interesting. And there have been times I have gotten it all wrong. I have kept silent when I should have spoken up and I should have kept quiet when I said too much. But sometimes we just need to revert back to that phrase that our moms taught us and that we taught our children ‘if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”
But Keeping silent isn’t always the best option
That doesn’t mean that sometimes we won’t have to ask the hard questions and keep someone accountable, specifically if they have asked us to- always choose kindness over harshness…ALWAYS. But other times our greatest influence that we can have is silence.
Choosing to be present. Choosing to show up. It’s amazing who has shown up for me in the last 10 months and who hasn’t. I know life happens and I know that everybody has their own stuff and I’m not mad but just as much as silence is sometimes our best option it can also be the worst.
Silence can be our greatest influence and it can be our worst. Knowing when and where to be silent is an art form. One I am still learning- one I fail at regularly.
Wisdom builds understanding
As much as we want to rely on our instincts in these situations we need an ongoing relationship with Jesus ad to be praying for wisdom in what to say and how to build others up. Is it about our presence or is it about encouraging someone with words.
A Challenge
I want us to be challenged going into this week to choose to build someone up. To choose presence and encouragement over critical assumptions and words. Not to wait for someone to reach out to us but to reach out to the other person first.
Sometimes we just need to be there and I am so glad you are here. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to stop by my little piece of the internet!
Feel free to poke around. I have a little bit of everything here and I want you to know that this is a place where I want you to grow in your walk with Jesus!
If you are new here check out these links below and introduce Yourself in the comments. I can’t wait to connect with you!
Write 31 Days 2018 Influence Posts
Choosing Courage 100 Day Writing Project
Write 31 Days 2021 Link up List. (Scroll to the bottom)
