who cares

I read a cool shirt that said "no one cares about your blog".

That made me think (go figure). We really do think people care about what WE say. Do they? I don't know, I guess it depends on what you say. If you are constantly speaking a load of negative garbage or gossip or tearing people down then I would say no, they don't care.

If you are using your words to build others up, then maybe they not only care but they may need to hear what you are saying.

I have to constantly guard my words because I can use them in an attempt (usually a lame attempt) to be funny without thinking about how they affect other people.

My point: do you care about my blog - I don't really care but I will use it to make a point, rant or just point out pet peeves but I will not intentionally tear other people down. If I point things out, it will be a general statement.

Do people care about what you say?

set on fire by hell

I had the opportunity to speak @ C3 today. I talked about the power of our words. 

The key text was James 3:2. He talks about how incredibly hard it is to control the tongue. Even though it is small, it has HUGE potential to do incredible, irreversible damage. James gives some very clear word pictures about the damaging effects that the tongue can cause if we are not careful. 

James 3:6 has a very interesting statement about our tongue. It says "... for it has been set on fire by hell itself."

Wow, that's a pretty graphic statement. Cool choice of words.  I can't wait until someone mouths off or speaks negative or mean. My response is gonna be "your mouth has been set on fire by hell..." I will let you know how it goes.

The point of this statement is that none of us ever get to the place in our lives where we NEVER have to worry about the impact of our words. We can never stop guarding the words we speak. Our words have amazing destructive power and we need to be cautious of how we use them. 

My point: We need to be careful. We need to think before we speak. Once the words leave your mouth it is like a fire. You can't control or reverse the damage they do. Once they are out there, you have to deal with the consequences and they have to deal with the pain you cause.

Think before you speak and never forget the negative potential of your words. 

say it with heart

I am learning a lot these days. I have had to have some conversations that could have gone very wrong and ended up hurting some people I care about. 

As I thought about what I wanted to say and how that would come across, I began getting frustrated because I didn't want to hurt anyone. Then the clarifying question was asked: "how would I want someone to talk to me about this". 

That question helped me go into the conversations with the right heart. One thing I keep in the front of my mind is that even if I am mad, frustrated or hurt by someone, God loves them just as much as He loves me. When you have a conversation with a loving & pure heart, where your motives are to confront out of care, it is amazing what God will do. 

I believe God was honored with the heart and outcome of the conversations. The conversations could've gone really bad and drove people & families far away from God. Instead because of prayer and humility, God softened the hearts of all involved and I truly feel like I am closer to them now because of the heart and attitude involved in the conversations.

My point: We all have a way we choose to communicate, but that isn't necessarily the best way. When we look at people the way God looks at them, it is possible to see the pain or hurt behind the other persons words or actions. We need to care enough about what God cares about (people) to talk to others the way we would want to be talked to - with understanding and love. 

I don't always do this, but I will always try from now on. Especially now that I see it can actually strengthen relationships.