The scriptures in James about taming the tongue have always been interesting to me. Not that I have mastered the content! lol! That's way beyond me now...as my frustration level can be high on any (or every) given day I find it difficult to not say things out of anger or frustration. I'm mostly alone here anyway - who will hear?
The frustrations come for caregivers because our plate is so full all the time! It just seems sometimes that it gets piled higher and higher and nothing ever goes away. That's how it feels some days...most days. Then any little thing is like more than what can be handled in the moment... and it can be something pretty insignificant but because of the already heavy load we carry it sends angry words off the tip of the tongue. (maybe that's just me?)
But as I was reading this morning I saw in Joshua 1:8 ( a very familiar scripture) in a new light. God told Joshua to not let the Book of the Law depart from his mouth.. to me that means he was to talk about it all the time basically. I think the next phrase tells him how: but you shall meditate on it day and night. According to James we cannot tame the tongue but since the mouth speaks from what's in the heart - we can set our heart to meditate on Him more and (hopefully in my case) it will have a wonderful effect on our tongues!
So when things get rocky today (or tomorrow), or when we get tired and want to give up or give in...find a scripture to set the heart upon and meditate it until it becomes part of you. My first scripture response is always Psalm 57:1 - the last part says I will stay in the shadow of His wings until calamity is past. I meditated on it in 1986 when I was very ill for a long time. And now it's part of me...
I encourage you today to find such a scripture that you can meditate on and let it become a part of you. It will change your heart and your vocabulary!
The frustrations come for caregivers because our plate is so full all the time! It just seems sometimes that it gets piled higher and higher and nothing ever goes away. That's how it feels some days...most days. Then any little thing is like more than what can be handled in the moment... and it can be something pretty insignificant but because of the already heavy load we carry it sends angry words off the tip of the tongue. (maybe that's just me?)
But as I was reading this morning I saw in Joshua 1:8 ( a very familiar scripture) in a new light. God told Joshua to not let the Book of the Law depart from his mouth.. to me that means he was to talk about it all the time basically. I think the next phrase tells him how: but you shall meditate on it day and night. According to James we cannot tame the tongue but since the mouth speaks from what's in the heart - we can set our heart to meditate on Him more and (hopefully in my case) it will have a wonderful effect on our tongues!
So when things get rocky today (or tomorrow), or when we get tired and want to give up or give in...find a scripture to set the heart upon and meditate it until it becomes part of you. My first scripture response is always Psalm 57:1 - the last part says I will stay in the shadow of His wings until calamity is past. I meditated on it in 1986 when I was very ill for a long time. And now it's part of me...
I encourage you today to find such a scripture that you can meditate on and let it become a part of you. It will change your heart and your vocabulary!
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