Watch Yo Mouth!

Warning: This post could ruin your image of me and I'm willing to take that chance if this info can help you out. Please read with caution...

My husband and I have been working on our words lately. A few weeks ago, we noticed that we were getting shorter and shorter tempered with our children so we made it a point to "think before we speak." So, we put a few Bible verses in various rooms of our house and we read those on a daily basis.

For instance, we put a copy on our bathroom mirror so that we could read it each morning before our girls woke up. We also put a copy in the girls' bathroom so that we could have a visual reminder to "stay calm" when they started acting up during bath time. We also put a copy on Lou's (age 3) bedroom door because putting her to bed was a nightly struggle. Inevitably, we would get frustrated with her and we would raise our voices ... every. single. night.

I'm happy to say that over the last few weeks, our house has seen heard a wonderful change. We still have our frustrating moments, but we now handle things differently. I'm not going to lie, keeping your cool is hard and sometimes we just have to walk out of the room so we don't raise our voice, but hey, it's better than yelling back. We are not perfect and we never will be, but we recognized a problem and we chose to correct it.

There is a new song on the radio called Words by Hawk Nelson that has really hit home as we've been going through this process. Here are some of the lyrics:

"They've made me feel like a prisoner
They've made me feel set free
They've made me feel like a criminal
Made me feel like a king

They've lifted my heart
To places I'd never been
And they've dragged me down
Back to where I began

Words can build you up
Words can break you down
Start a fire in your heart or
Put it out

Let my words be life
Let my words be truth
I don't wanna say a word
Unless it points the world back to You"

When you make a conscious effort to "think before you speak," whether it's to your children, your spouse, your friends, etc, you will be blessed. Now that I've aired our dirty laundry and you all think that my husband and I just sit around yelling at our kids, rest assured, it's not like that at all. We rarely raise our voices, but we did start to notice that it was happening more often so we chose to make a change. I challenge you to "think before you speak" no matter what situation you may be facing. 

With that, I want to leave you with a few verses to think about:

• Psalm 19:14 - May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
• Hosea 6:5 - I killed you with the words of my mouth
• 1 Thessalonians 4:18 - Therefore encourage one another with these words.
• Psalm 139:4 - Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.
• Proverbs 12:18 - The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
• James 3:5 - Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.
• James 3:9 - With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.
• 1 Peter 4:11 - If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.