The Power of Words by Poetyss

We have all heard the old cliché of “Everything happens for a reason”. In fact, I have used this principle/verse as a teaching tool and as a comfort mechanism to my children and close friends. But oh my how it’s a different situation when you have to swallow a pill of your own medicine….
This past weekend, I was on one end of the emotional rollercoaster that Vivian Green sings about, all the way back to the other. Being saved for many years, I know that we have to learn to control our emotions, because they can guide our heart to make very bad decisions. For the most part, I think I do a pretty good job keeping my cool. Even if I’m a mess on the inside, I pray it away, paint on the smile and keep it moving. But the enemy has a way of catching you off guard sometimes.
Most of my friends and family know I am not a morning person- at all. So when my phone starts ringing at 8 am on a Saturday morning, I’m thinking “This better be an emergency.” Well, it was my brother. My mother, my brother and I have a difficult relationship at best, but that’s for another day and another blog entry. Let’s just say that I wasn’t very nice to him. That phone call generated a reaction out of me that was out of my usual character, and my reaction unfortunately created a domino effect that consumed the majority of my day and my heart.

As the dust tried to settle, reality snuck in and I realized that my biting words created a horrible situation. Proverbs 13:3 (New Living Translation) tells us that “Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything.” Was I wrong in what I said during our conversation? No. Was the delivery wrong? Absolutely. We have to know the right way to convey a message, and when it’s time to stop talking. This time around I failed on both accounts.

I jumped right back into the fray trying to correct my wrong. And as things are getting progressively worse, I’m thinking “What am I doing wrong here? Why can’t I get this right?”

And then I heard it. Clear as can be. But I opened my mouth with another gust of sanctified anger only to have my voice taken away and the voice was a little bit stronger.

“Let me move.”

There was nothing left to say, nothing more to argue. I have tried since I was a little girl to mend these relationships in my life, only to get hurt and exhausted from the efforts. I thought I had reached the point in my life where I had let this go so that God could move. Only to find myself after all these years right up in the middle of it again. My words, my shouting, my crying wasn’t helping anything at all. I was fueling an already toxic situation. So, nothing left to do but hang up.

I did what I could, and this is a situation that God and only God can fix. Its so hard in the moment to fight being consumed by the overwhelming emotions that try to taint our decision making. That’s why its so important to be still in the moment. We can be so quick to react, that we don’t think about how our reaction is going to affect other people, and ourselves after the moment is over.

I got another call today, midway through me typing this. Funny how God works, and how you see things come full circle. I think some of my points hit home with my brother. I was more careful with my words today. Encouraging and pointed, instead of stern and direct. Only time will tell, I have learned that. But as I close this, it’s off my mind and in God’s hands…. For good!! When you finally release a situation, it feels like a fresh new breath. Now if I could apply this to other areas of my life….. Lol