Thursday, 13 November 2008
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Please Think Before You Speak
Guest post subbmited by surfs_upletsgo
Do you think before you speak? I know I struggle with it, I'll be the first to admit it. But something a pastor said awhile ago still sticks with me I heard him say when I was 9, I am now 21.
T-is it TRUE?
H-does it HELP?
I-is it INSPIRING?
N-is it NESCESARY?
K-is it KIND?
That was his unique way of saying think before you speak. If you're like me sometimes you think of all those questions but anger or something has risen in your mind so much that you say it anyway and then regret it later.
How do you filter the words you speak?
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Comments (15)
i sometimes dont.....
I often don't, which is rude, and sometimes I say things on purpose and pretend to be ignorant.
I CAN'T TOUCH YOU HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE THIS POST!!! I TYPED A POST TODAY ABOUT SOMETHING THAT WAS BOTHERING ME, THEN I FELT BAD BECAUSE IT WAS NOT UPLIFTING. SOMETIMES I THINK I'M TOO HONEST AND OUTSPOKEN FOR MY OWN GOOD. TODAY AFTER I TYPED IT, I GOT TO WONDERING DOES EVERYBODY ELSE NOT EVER FEEL AGGRAVATED WITH SOMETHING OR ARE THEY JUST PERFECT AND I'M NOT. REALLY GOT ME TO FEELING BAD THAT I HAVE A BAD THOUGHT FROM TIME TO TIME. MAYBE ALL THE OTHER CHRISTIANS ARE JUST MORE SEASONED OR OBEDIENT TO ME. WHO COULD KNOW FOR SURE. IT'S THE FEW MILLISECONDS THAT IT TAKES SOMETHING TO EFFECT ME THAT GOES FROM MY VISUAL TO THOUGHT PROCESS THAT I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO AVOID. LOL. I NEED LIKE AN ALARM, BUT I NEEDED THIS POST. NOT SURE I'LL EVER BE AS GREAT AS A CHRISTIAN AS SOME SEEM TO BE ON HERE, BUT I'LL KEEP TRYING, :)
THANKS AGAIN!
CHERYL
EDIT: I MEANT "OBEDIENT THAN ME," NOT "OBEDIENT TO ME." SORRY!
Oh, and I thought initially the Surfs person who wrote this must have read my post, lol, but I see no footprints at least. Amazing how God sends just what we need WHEN we need it, huh?
I actually prefer the "THANK" method, which is very similar to yours, except for with an "I for inspiring" there's an "A" for "acronym." Can what I'm about to say be expressed using an acronym?
Would you require all the comments on this post to simultaneously embody all those attributes?
I used to be big on this approach, but it is missing something in one respect- if you take out anything that isn't at once 'true, helpful, inspiring, necessary and kind' then you'll be a pretty difficult person to communicate with and befriend. And how the heck would you be able to administer a biblical rebuke?
Obviously, restraint is important, but we can't be so clinical in what we deem worthy of speech that we become unable to relate with people.
a closed mouth eats no feet.
Two things you can never get back once you let them get away...time and words.
It depends on what it is that I need to speak about. If I don't have to insert an opinion, or my thoughts then I don't. Its much better to listen. Better for the hearer, and for the listener.
But if I must, I think through whats important. #1. I ask God often to put a guard over my lips..# 2... I ask myself about my motivation for saying what I'm going to say. Is it out of love? Is it for the person's benefit? If I can't say it clearing those two hurdles...then I don't speak.
Unfortunately, I've had many times when I've spoken out of anger and haven't given much thought to what I'm saying before I say it! Even when the things we say are true - it doesn't help much saying them in anger. I have learned that the hard way - more than once!
Many times we just end up looking like a fool, and we definitely do not look like Christ when we speak before we think. My pastor gave us a quote that said something like "It's better to keep silent and people think you are a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
The book of James talks of the tongue and how no man can tame it. It is a dangerous thing! We would all do well to consult with God before we speak - He is the only One who can tame our tongues!
Surfs_upletgo: I want to compliment you of having such insight of your own weakness. Many don't, or deny, or brush it off from their mind.
great post. thanks.
Great post, thanks for sharing. I usually am able to think before speaking...but that doesn't mean I think very hard, and I still end up regretting a lot of things I've said!
The tongue, as they say, can be harsher than a sword. Or something like that.
Your method reminded me of one Charles Stanley uses.
"When are we most likely to give in to sin?" HALT!!
(When we are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired.)
I don't. My tongue is sharp and I tend to hurt people sometimes when I speak. When I want to say something particularly harsh but true, I try to think about it and try my best not to say anything at all. But it sucks a lot. =(