A Time to Speak

Most of us are familiar with Ecclesiastes 3, and how it tells us there is a time for everything. Ecclesiastes 3:7 says there is "A time to rend and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak."

I'm not sure if you noticed, but last week I didn't have a post. For one of the first times in my life, I wasn't sure what to say. I was prayerful about it, and I just felt that not trying to force anything was the best thing to do. So, for the first time in over a year of meeting you here every Monday, I was silent.

Something I am learning is that silence isn't bad. Despite what I may think, my mouth does not have to be moving constantly and words don't always have to be coming out.

( I know, I am also shocked by this news.) In my silence, God is not always silent. In my time of rest, God is not resting. And sometimes, not having anything to say is what we are called to do. I've been learning a lot about words lately. I like words. I love them, actually. Words of Affirmation are my love language. Words are powerful. They can change lives, be a gift, and cost nothing.

Proverbs 18:21 says "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." What you are saying may cost nothing to you, but may be pricey for someone else. Live and death are in the power of our tongues! How we use our words makes all the difference. I have been trying to be more intentional about what words I say, so I try to mentally run them through the Philippians 4:8* filter first. It requires me to take every thought captive. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

I strongly encourage you to do a personal study on all the power in words. It is overwhelming really; all the things our words are compared to, how hard they hit, how destructive or building they can be. One verse I like to remember is, Matthew 12:36 "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak." I'm not sure if that scares you, but it scares me. That is enough motivation for me to want to apologize to everyone I've ever talked to.

Also, fun fact, did you know sound doesn't disappear? It travels in waves. Every sound made travels in these invisible waves through materials until it finally gets far enough away from where it was created, reducing these waves until they are small enough to be inaudible. So, think about those words before they come out of your mouth. Sound can't travel in emptiness. It needs a medium. If you are speaking to someone, not only scientifically will those words be around for a while, but they will also be carried (mentally and scientifically) with that person for some time.

This is also true with the words that leave our fingertips. It is very easy for me to sit here on this side of the screen and tell you about words. But, I too, am learning every day how to harness their power better and use them for the glory of God.

Consider the weight your words carry, how far they'll travel and what they will be establishing before you speak them.

If you don't have anything to say after considering all this, it is okay to not say anything at all.

Allow God to speak on your behalf.

* Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.