What Kind of Book Are You Writing?

Each day I receive 3 devotionals via email. I am sharing this one today as it has spoken to me. Recently I have felt the call to write, and if I am not careful I have found that my writings can and will hurt others. That is not my intention, I write from the heart and after reading this I realize even more the power of the written word and know that before I put words on paper I must pray and listen for guidance and direction, so that my words are uplifting and encouraging.

Yes, my writings are for myself, but I must keep in mind that others will be reading them and although I may not intend for them to mean a certain thing they could be taken wrong. Therefore, I will pray that the words I use are the words that God intends for me to use, to get his message out and not my own.

What Kind of Book Are You Writing?

Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
"I will be careful how I act and will not sin by what I say. I will be careful what I say around wicked people. I became very angry inside, and as I thought about it, my anger burned. So, I spoke" (Psalm 39:1, 3 NCV).

Friend To Friend
A young lady named Sally relates an experience she had in a Seminary class taught by Dr. Smith, a teacher who was well known for his elaborate object lessons. One particular day, Sally walked into the classroom and instantly knew they were going to have a lot of fun. On the wall was a big target and on a nearby table was a large stack of darts. Dr. Smith told the students to draw a picture of a person they disliked or someone who had made them angry and he would allow them to throw darts at the person's picture.

Sally's girlfriend drew a picture of a girl who had stolen her boyfriend. Another friend drew a picture of his little brother who was a constant irritation. Sally drew a picture of a former friend who had betrayed her. As Sally remembered the pain and hurt of that broken friendship, she put a great deal of detail into her drawing, even drawing pimples on the face. When her picture was completed, Sally sat back and gazed at her work, pleased with the overall effect she had achieved.

The class lined up and began throwing darts. Laughter and shouts of success rang out as each dart found its target. Some of the students threw the darts with such force that their targets were ripping apart. Sally was looking forward to her turn but was disappointed when Dr. Smith called time and asked the students to return to their seats.

As Sally sat thinking about how angry she was because she didn't have a chance to throw any darts at her target, Dr. Smith began removing the target from the wall. Underneath the target was a picture of Jesus. A complete hush fell over the room as each student viewed the mangled picture of Jesus; holes and jagged marks covering His face.

Dr. Smith quietly said, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40, KJV). No other words were necessary. The tear-filled eyes of each student focused only on the picture of Christ.

Words are like seeds. What we plant will grow. The words we speak are powerful and will either build up or destroy. Words can diffuse anger and turn tragedy into triumph. The right word, spoken at the right time and in the right way can bring peace in the midst of confusion. God gives us "spiritual radar" so we can assess a situation and speak the right word for that circumstance, but how often do we speak before we check the radar?

· A judge utters a few words and a guilty man is taken to death row.

· A friend speaks a word of encouragement and a desperate heart finds hope.

· A mother lashes out with angry words and the light in her child's eyes is gone.

· A wife offers a word of forgiveness and a marriage is saved.

· A gossip makes a phone call and a reputation is destroyed.

· A teenager says "no" and changes the course of her life.

It has been estimated that most people speak enough words in one week to fill a large book of 500 pages which, in the average lifetime, would amount to somewhere around 3000 volumes or 1,500,000 pages. What kind of book are you writing today with your words?

Let's Pray
Father, I need Your help. I want the words I speak to encourage and build up the people in my life. Forgive me for the hurtful words I have spoken. Teach me how to speak the right words in each situation and how to think before I speak. And Lord, help me keep my mouth shut when I need to!

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Now It's Your Turn
Read Colossians 4:6 (NLT) "Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone."

What guidelines does this verse give us for the words we speak?

What one change do you need to make today in order to tame your tongue?

More From The Girlfriends
I love the honesty of the woman who prayed, "Lord, help me control my tongue so that on Judgment Day, I won't be found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon." I struggle to control the words I speak. I can be quick to criticize and slow to encourage. Not a day passes that I don't find myself wishing I could retract some statement I made during the day. The reality is that a spoken word cannot be unspoken. We need to understand the power of our words and choose them carefully.

Joy, Peace and Happiness

I am HAPPY, I realized this on my way home from work yesterday. I was talking to a friend and it occurred to me that I was truly happy. If this seems like an odd statement you would have to understand that for years, I have not been truly happy.

There was something missing in my life and it was robbing me of actual happiness. Don't misunderstand I have had fun, and joy. But I do not remember a tie when I could say that I was truly happy. I always felt like there was something lacking, and if I could only make more money so that I could buy this or that, usually something completely unnecessary and useless in the grand scheme of things, then I would finally find happiness. But it never worked. I searched and yearned and blamed others for my state. Then suddenly one day I realize that I am happy and no person or thing had anything to do with it.

This sense of peace has come from finally letting go and letting God run my life. I still don't have piles of money, I still get really aggravated at Ray, and there are days when my new job really stinks, but these are not the things that have given me my happiness and losing them will not take it away. I would surely hate to lose Ray, and I almost have on a couple of occasions. And it was probably those incidents that made me realize just how important he is to me. But people and things are not where my happiness comes from. I still get my feelings hurt, and people still disappoint me, but I no longer give them the power to control my feelings as I once did. I know now that as long as I am true to myself and work everyday to follow the path that God wants me to follow my life will be better and I will be a better person and for it.

As I talked to my friend on the phone and told her of this wonderful feeling that I expressed my desire to share it with all of those around me. In fact I told her that “I wish I could spread it like peanut butter” so that everyone would know the joy and peace that I do. So dear friends my prayer for you today is this. “Dear Heavenly Father, please allow all of your children to know this wonderful sense of love and peace, as it is a wonderful gift and I am so thankful that you have shared it with me so that I may pass it on to those around me. In your name I pray, Amen.

Happy Valentine's Day

Not a lot to say on this day designated for "lovers". Just happy to be who I am and where I am. And Thankful to God for all he has brought into my life.

My husband Ray, who loves me unconditionally; my family who has been there for me when I needed them most;and my friends who have encouraged me, and shown me a love that I never would have imagined. I thank you all for being there, through some pretty rocky times.

I love you all for all you have been and will be in my life. But most of all I thank God for allowing me to know you and to love you.

Roots

Growing up I dreamed of the kind of house that I would live in when I was old, you know in my twenties. The kind of home that I wanted changed from year to year. There was the time that I wanted a ranch house, with lots of horses roaming around. Then after reading “Gone With the Wind”, I wanted my own Tara. But I have come to realize that it wasn’t the house that I craved but a home. I wanted a place that I could call my own, where I could feel safe and free to be myself.
We were never homeless in the sense that we had nowhere to live, but in another sense I was homeless. I have anywhere that I belonged. To some degree I had that while living with my grandparents, but I was always reminded that my room was not really my room. It was actually my Uncle’s or my Aunt’s. And I was merely a “guest” passing through.
The farm that my grandparents lived on has been in my family for many generations and my roots are there. And I finally have a home that is mine. As an adult I have not traveled a lot, I hate to move I like to settle in and stay. This I am sure comes from being moved around a lot as a child. But I have come to realize recently that it wasn’t the building that I was yearning for, but the feeling of security that comes with it. When I am here I know that I am in my safe haven, with someone who loves me and cares for me. I can shut out the world and the chaos that goes with it and be myself.
No one can kick me out of my bedroom, or make me feel like a visitor or an outsider. This is not just a house, it is my home. I also know that it would not matter where this building is, or how big it is, as long as there is love within, it will always be home. I am so thankful to God for bringing my husband, Ray into my life. He has allowed me to be me, no excuses, no apologies. He loves me and I love him. We do not always see eye to eye and in many ways we are total and complete opposites. But together we work. We respect each other, and protect each other. I will argue when I disagree with him, but I will defend him to anyone that tries to do him harm, as he will for me. It is funny how our roots can be in one place but our hearts are somewhere else.

Forgive and Forget

As I sit here trying to come up with an idea for my blog, I wonder why is it that all my really great thoughts seem to come to me in the middle of the night. If that the only time that I will allow my mind to clear enough? That is one explanation. Another is that maybe that is the only time that I am truly quiet and listening. For whatever the reason, that is when my thoughts seem to be the clearest. There have been times that a thought would be so strong that I would get out of bed and write. But since starting my new job, I would really rather not spend two of three hours sitting at my desk in the middle of the night. Sleep is a very important thing to me, especially when I know that I am going to have to get up at 6:00 am.

One of the things that has stuck with me over the last few days is forgiveness As Christians, we understand that if we seek forgiveness, it will be given. But I have started to ask myself the question, actually there are two questions. If I expect forgiveness then should I also not be willing to forgive myself? The second question is if we forgive, should we not also forget?

I know that I have been hurt, disappointed, and betrayed by people that I have loved and trusted, both family and friends. And I have carried around that betrayal in my heart like a badge of some kind. Yet I know that I have also hurt and betrayed my Heavenly Father. Yet all I have to do is ask for his forgiveness and it is given freely. OK, some of those earthly beings that hurt me, have never and will never ask me to forgive them. So does that give me permission not to forgive them? No, because in many instances, they have no idea that they have done anything And for those that do know what they have done, but refuse to acknowledge it. That is an issue they will have to deal with. But it is my responsibility to forgive. Then we come to the forgetting part.

When I ask for that forgiveness, is God going to remind me of it when I mess up again? Nope, he will just continue to love me and forgive me. All past transgressions are forgotten. Therefore, when you forgive, it will not be complete and total forgiveness if you do not also forget. I understand how difficult this is. I have wrestled with this deli ma for sometime now myself. It seems that one person in particular has made it their goal in life to be my undoing. We will never be friends again, but I have forgiven them and am moving on with my life.