You would think someone like me who can barely move my mouth muscles, much less speak, wouldn’t have a hard time “holding my tongue” or speaking inappropriately, right? Unfortunately that’s not always the case!
The Bible says in Colossians 4:6: “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man.”
How can our speech be always with grace? The following quote helps to answer that important question.
“Let the law of kindness be upon your lips and the oil of grace in your hearts… The common, severe, harsh words that come from your lips so readily must be withheld, and the Spirit of God speak through the human agent. By beholding the character of Christ you will be changed into His likeness… God calls upon us to be like Him, – pure, holy and undefiled. We are to bear the Divine image.” Sons and Daughters of God, pg 102.
Thankfully having to use the eyegaze is a level of protection from responding too quickly with words I may regret, however I still have to often apologize for saying things wrong. Especially in those middle of the night repositioning encounters with Kevin when we’re both exhausted, communication is difficult and the stage is set for miscommunication and hurt.
Another vulnerable time for me is during those hard days after a night of little sleep when everything seems dark and discouraging. Those times of emotional weakness are when I especially need to hold my tongue and not give voice to the enemies lies. Sadly I often fall short and I must constantly pray that my words will be encouraging and seasoned with grace. Jesus help me!
Lately I’ve had an even deeper desire to let the Holy Spirit guide my words. I don’t want to manipulate or express things wrongly. For example, my needs are so constant and so repetitive that it’s easy for me to have a very me-centered, myopic focus. I know my opinion and words matter to everyone. Because it’s harder to communicate, what I do write on my eyegaze computer to say probably holds even more weight or “punch”. Therefore it is very easy to manipulate my family with my words. I must guard against this, encourage and support their other responsibilities outside of my care. They are so patient and forgiving when I mess up.
Dear friend, I don’t know what your struggle may be in this area, but I know it’s an area most of us probably deal with often. Prayerfully search your own heart. As it shares in the above quote, the remedy is beholding Jesus. We need Him and His righteousness to cover us in order to be pure, holy and undefiled. He’s the only one who can give us the strength to reflect Him through our speech. He’s the only one who can successfully hold our tongues!
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