How to thrust swords and terrorize your friends

How to thrust swords and terrorize your friends

Everyone is a communicator.

We have many means of communication in addition to our words.

Hand gestures.

Tone. Inflection.

Body language.

Silence.

A non-answer.

Everyone communicates.

We communicate through different means.

Email,

Instagram,

Facebook comments,

in person (preferred),

over the phone (abhorred).

Google Hangouts,

across the conference room table,

in the bleachers at the game, and across the dinner table and a multitude of other means. Our list of communication delivery means continues to grow. 

We communicate in relationship.

We communicate to our spouse,

our kids,

our co-workers,

our bosses,

our team at church,

our leadership,

our barista,

our cell phone service provider that will not go off-script.

We communicate.

I continue to learn something about communication over and over again.

God has wired all of us a certain way. He has wired me as a direct, yet fun-loving, but to the point communicator. I use my hands. I'm a loud talker and I laugh loudly. The Spirit of God can use these to further the kingdom of God in the body of Christ. Yet, when I'm not submitting to the Spirit of God - words can wound.

If you're like me, you can think of several situations where your words have wounded. Or, perhaps you can think of just as many times when you've been wounded by the words of someone else.

These verses give understanding to this experience:

Proverbs 18:21

Proverbs 12:18

Proverbs 13:3

Matthew 12:36

Psalm 19:14

Christian, what we say matters.

The thing I keep learning - I can say the right thing, with the right heart motive, with the perfect context, and yet it can go completely wrong. This isn't a post about how people perceive your communication, but rather a post on considering how we communicate.

We can look the part.

We can use the right-hand motions and body language.

We can say the exact, appropriate thing that needs to be said.

Yet, we can royally wreck the delivery by HOW we say it.

Exhibit A, case in point - Adele:

Ok, obviously that was a joke, but hopefully, your eardrums won’t keep you from getting the point-

Christian, what we say matters. How we say it matters too.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue! You mean to tell me that I've got to worry about how I say it now!?! What is a direct, Italian, communicator to do? Yes, you and I will give an account for every idle word spoken--this one gets me, convicts me, and to be quite honest stirs up a lot of shame and guilt in my life. If you're there, note that the Spirit of God is never the author of shame and guilt in the life of the child of God.

What are we to do?

Go back and read that Psalm 19 passage again.

Go and read Galatians 6 if you have some time.

What are we to do?

We're to trust God. We're to ask the Lord to give us the grace to allow the Words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart... new level, not just what we say, but what we don't say... the meditations of our heart to be acceptable or pleasing in the sight of our Rock and Redeemer. We're to trust Him. We're to be dependent upon Him-hand gestures, inflection, when to speak, and when to shut it.

Question: Are you, like me, the one that has to be reminded that how you say something matters OR are you someone who should speak up but tends to be silent?

Culture charcuterie

Culture charcuterie

Prayer is not a passive, calm, quiet practice - Day of Prayer and Fasting

Prayer is not a passive, calm, quiet practice - Day of Prayer and Fasting