Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22 - 23 defines "the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law."

When I think about my word, "tongue," I think how much more Christ-like I could be and how much less trouble I would have with my tongue if I truly exhibited the fruit of the Spirit in my life.

1. love - agape love is selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional.
2. joy - the settled assurance that God is in control in every situation.
3. peace - freedom from disturbance, quiet, and tranquility.
4. patience - quiet, steady perseverance.
5. kindness - the practice or quality of being kind (of a friendly, generous, or warm hearted nature.
6. goodness - moral excellence, piety, virtue
7. faithfulness - love hanging on (love this definition!)
8. gentleness - meekness: restraint coupled with strength and courage.
9. self-control - mastery over mind, body, and mouth

Look at these definitions; I love the words used to define the fruit of the spirit.  I love the strength and solidness of these words.  I don't have to be in submission to my tongue; I can have mastery over my tongue - perseverance, mastery, restraint coupled with strength and courage - powerful.

OUCH! What do I say?

So, this morning while on Facebook, my feelings were hurt terribly by someone I love - by an act of omission.  Ouch! Hiss! What? thoughts were running through my mind.  What do I say?  My first instinct was to retaliate, to write a scathing public rebuke.  But then I remembered - capture your thoughts before they reach your lips, or in this case, your fingers.  Backspace is a wonderful key.  Take a deep breath, thank Jesus for strength, and try to move on.  My goal, just for today, is to let go of my hurt, not to chew on it.

Capture Your Thoughts Before They Get To Your Lips

My mouth - what a trouble maker!  Sometimes I wish I could just put a piece of duct tape over it.  Even better, I wish that I could capture my thoughts before they escape my lips.

I found this really cool idea on Pinterest.  You take one word and study and meditate on it, write your thoughts, scriptures, sermon notes, and quotes about that one word for the year.  This is perfect for me, because I know what my word will be - "tongue."

I have struggled with my mouth all my life and even though I am a baptized, bible believing Christian, out of my mouth comes curses, sarcasm, hateful words, gossip, lying...hard to believe that a "Christian" has that problem, isn't it?  Thankfully, I recognize this weakness in myself.

But maybe, just maybe this year, instead of taking baby steps, I can make real improvement in the way that I think and the way that I speak.

If you want to try this for yourself, visit forthefamily.org; all the credit goes to them.

My Journey Begins

A new year is always a time of reflection.  It's a time when many people make resolutions.  I don't know if I really have any resolutions.  I do have some things I want in 2014:

1. to listen, really LISTEN, and not just hear
2. love AND respect from my family
3. to capture my thoughts before they leave my lips
4. to touch everyone I meet with a positive attitude
5. to be more patient and understanding
6. freedom to be who I am and to be comfortable with who I am
7. tolerance (the ability or willingness to tolerate something, in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with)
8. peace - peace which passes all understanding
9. more knowledge
10. to be more spontaneous

I don't know how it's going to end up but that's part of the journey, isn't it?