What Speak?

As a person who likes to talk a lot, I can say from experience that sometimes I would be better off not saying things rather than saying what I think is the right thing to say. Sometimes it is stuff I just should not say and other times it is something that is hurtful to someone because I think I am helping them. I think that if I just thought before speaking, I would be a lot better off and I would not find myself in trouble so much. I have learned that expressing how you feel can be done in certain ways and sometimes you freak people out when you are too straightforward. We just have to think of the situations we are in and act accordingly. This is true because sometimes we can fall into sin  through gossip or saying something we do not mean which in turn puts us into situations that we should never have been in. For example, you tell someone that if they invite you to a party, you might go. You know that the party is not a place to be because you are going to be tempted to drink and whatnot but if you just told them that you do not drink and if there was a party with no alcohol then you would go. Maybe its that you tell that boy or girl you are with that you might be open to a more physical relationship and then later on you feel are put in a situation you do not want to be in because you opened your mouth earlier. Other times we find ourselves acting irrationally and talking back to our parents or coaches because we are not thinking before we react and speak. Maybe you said something that was meant to be a joke but you did not realize the effect that those words would have on a person. It is all about our thought process with the words we say and we can have a stronger walk if you control our tongues.

We see in Proverbs 13:3 that guarding the tongue is a staple in order to be successful. We are told. 'He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin." I know that in my 19 years, I have done a very poor job of this and everyday I find myself saying something that I wish I could have back. I do not regret saying what I have said but I know that I could have done something differently. I am definitely sorry for some of the things I have said to people and about people over the years. For example, I said something at practice one day and by the end of practice, the person who I said it about already knew and she was very upset with me. In this case, there was a misinterpretation of what I said and everything got cleared up, but had I chosen to not say anything, I would have never had to defend myself and I would not have had to work at mending a broken friendship. Everything we say has a response, good or bad and the timing and content of what is said plays a big role in how the comment or word is received. Sometimes it is not what we say about someone, it is the words spoken to them. Trying to give someone assistance when they do not want it or providing advice in which people do not want to hear can be very detrimental and lead to a bad night and possibly friendship. The only thing we can do in regards to this is to seek out God and if he is giving us words to speak to them, then we should take the signal and do what we can to help. We must be careful and make sure we are being lead by him so that we do not make the situation bad or worse.

I know that this is something I need to work on and I need to shut my mouth more and listen more. It is not bad for me to voice my opinion but there is a time and a place for it all. God has given me the gift of listening (kind of). I tend to listen and then go on for hours about how things can change and what people need to do and if it relates to me then I try to provide examples of my own experiences. I know that God uses me in special ways, I just need to be more reserved and let him take control of some situations instead of feeling like I have got it. He will help me along the way and he will not steer me or you towards failure.

I hope today was great for all of you. It was my Mom's birthday so I got to talk to her this afternoon and wish her a happy birthday. It was the first one I have not been able to spend with her so it was a little different but it is all good. I am praying for all of you and do not hesitate to ask if you need anything. 480-292-1754.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson