His theme the last few weeks has been: Close Your Mouth!
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You've heard of the proverbial Negative Nancy? Well, (*waves hand*) here I am. And I have more than 150 posts on this blog to condemn me. Not everything I've shared has been doom and gloom. But my words are unpleasant often enough that I admitted recently: I Stink.
Then, I found an article which got me wondering, "Am I really helping myself and others here? Or am I just allowing my tongue to go unchecked?" When I say/write things in anger, am I preaching or venting...and what does the Bible say about it?
Suzanne Hadley Gosselin, author of this post, shares the following story:
A couple weeks ago, I found myself in a depressing cycle. It started with dissatisfaction with a certain relationship... Disappointment led to anger, which led to grumpiness. Feeling the need to "process," I vented my frustration to my exercise buddy [which] caused my self-righteousness to rise and made me even grumpier. Over the next few days, I stewed over the situation and "vented" to several other people. [Eventually] I found myself not only being frustrated with the initial relationship but being critical of others as well. Soon it seemed as if everyone was letting me down. My dissatisfaction grew until I reached a breaking point... Instead of helping my situation, venting had blown it out of proportion.
I resonate with this example whole-hardheartedly.
At first, writing a piece with a negative spin feels relieving--as if I got something off my chest. (Or, as I like to believe, I've "spoken the words of the Lord.")
But, once I start noticing what's wrong with the culture, the Church, the WORLD, it's hard to find anything good.
Miss Gosselin closes with this paragraph:
I'm learning that as a fallen human being, my tendency is to complain. But my goal is to have the attitude of Christ, rich in contentment, love and humility. That will require keeping the vent closed. After all, Jesus has given so much for me. I really can't complain.
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Thus, that's what I've been doing this month... learning to focus on the happy side of things instead of running to the computer with a list of problems needing fixed. And, what do you know, removing the "vent" hasn't caused me to implode. In fact, God has provided me with several extremely satisfying opportunities to use my gift of teaching, through my volunteer times at the pregnancy center.
Wow, that last sentence was so very consistent with new, positive frame of mind that I'm going to say it again: I loooove counseling young women at the pregnancy center. God has allowed me to interact with many girls who actually ask for my help. And the lift my spirit gets from being with them is starkly different from the sense of burden I often felt after unleashing Negative Nancy on this blog.
Now I understand better why Proverbs 10:19 says: "When words are many, sin is not absent. But he who holds his tongue is wise." If I can't be sure that every, single word is "helpful for building others up"and "benefits those who listen," I'd just as soon keep my mouth shut.
