Friday, January 31, 2014

Behind the Words

We all make mistakes with our words. I know I do.

We are a "wordy" family. My kids are good writers. When they were in school, they had plenty of opportunities to write. Maybe it was a sentence or two when they were little....an "About Me" list, or a few sentences about how they spent their Christmas vacation or summer break. I didn't save every one of those papers, but I loved every one of them. 

My brother is a good writer, too, and my sister, Leanne, is the best writer in our family.

I don't know where we get it, but I definitely think it's part of our DNA. Is that even possible? I don't know.

I do know that I think in sentences. I don't know if that makes any sense at all.

How do YOU think?

But as good as we all try to be at communication, there are always times when we say the wrong things. I've had a ton of hurtful things said to me by well-intentioned people...mainly about Joshua. But what keeps me awake at night, if I let myself "go" there, are the times hurtful or inappropriate words have come from my own mouth.

I like to blame it on youth and ignorance...and there's a lot to be said about that.  But, even now that I'm older and know better, I still trip up on my words. And it is soooo frustrating. I do much better when I can have time to think about what I want to say...write it down and look at it...edit it...think about it some more...edit it some more...and decided if that's really how I want to say it.

But there are just times when I have to, you know, TALK TO REAL PEOPLE...without a topic in mind...and then my words get all jumbled up. It usually hits me later, and I think about what I WISH I had said.

The other day, Holly and I ran into someone from our hometown. She was asking about all of the kids, and I told her about Logan and Morgan getting married in May...and she said, "wowwwwww...your kids all get married really YOUNG, don't they?"

And that's how she died.

JUST KIDDING.

But, seriously, what's wrong with saying something like, "oh, how great!" Or, "Congratulations! I'm sure you're thrilled!"

URGGGG...

And as quick as my finger came out to point to what SHE said...I did the same thing in a day or two...or a month. I spoke out of turn...said the wrong thing...offered Scripture verses before they were ready to be received.

JUST.LIKE.THAT.

The power of the tongue...

"for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body." James 3:2

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