Is there someone that seems to constantly bring out the worst in you? And before you realize it, sarcastic or condescending words are coming from your mouth....
That was me. (And still is sometimes.) ðŽ
I really got back into reading my Bible faithfully in 2012. And not just reading, but reading carefully. Thinking about every word and phrase, and going as slowly as needed, re-reading previous verses to get the meaning, etc. As I read, I searched for what God wanted to show me.
In Proverbs, I kept coming across verses about the tongue, and God was convicting me about the come-backs I'd say to my husband; sharp comments made in a flash of anger or even just frustration.
I included in my reading, 1 chapter in Proverbs each day, so I was coming across verses like these almost daily!
A few months later, my husband made some little comment (I don't remember what, but I do remember it was minor!) and I realized that usually I would have felt irritated about something even as frivolous as that. But I was amazed that I literally did not feel a reaction.
At all.
I didn't even have to *try bite my tongue... It just didn't bother me a bit.
It was like he had simply said, Hello, or something...
Normally I was ready to "catch" any little thing and point it out or be snippy. ð And I had previously tried many times to change. But before I would knew it, unkind words would be flowing out of my mouth.
But... in that moment, I realized...
God had changed me.
I didn't even have to TRY to change.
HE did it!! I certainly couldn't!
I realized I was calmer, and that I was not speaking back to my husband with a raised tone, or sarcastic, or anything like that.
And in turn, my husband had changed as well with his tone.
(I mean, if a wife is always nit-picking over everything you say or do... It's no wonder if a person says something back!)
It was amazing.
I Wasn't. Even. Trying.
Just reading and letting God convict me... and it happened.
I still am not perfect, haha. We all have those "
Till Death Do Us Part" problems! Those areas that just always seem to get the best of us at the worst times...
This will probably always be something I need to watch out for.
But I know what to do and
Who to turn to if I hear a snippy tone come from my mouth, or even have an attitude.
(It's not always what we **say...)
I have continued to read through Proverbs every month. And a few months after God working on me about my tongue, he began working on another area. I just kept seeing verses about it, convicting me... And again, later he showed me more areas, things I wasn't even aware of...
It's like a flashlight in the middle of the night. You can see right in front of you, but if you never take a step, you'll never see any further. The more you obey, the more God will show you!
♥
Psalm 90:12 "...cleanse thou me from secret faults."
James 4:8 "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you..."
But just reading quickly thru daily Bible reading will not work.
It's like smelling the meal, maybe even tasting a little... but there is no real nourishment. You don't get anything from it.
So it can't do anything for you.
He already knows our faults...
Psalm 69:5 "O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee."
I've found the more I read and
actively search for where God wants me to change, the easier it is to do what He wants! And the easier it is to give up some things that once I thought would be crazy if anyone suggested it.
And the more I want to read. ♥
May, 2020
I recently got to thinking about the verse in Proverbs 14 that says, "
Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox."
My mom had mentioned that verse to me once, in reference to children, making messes, etc.
But the other day, I thought about my husband... There are so many good things about him that definitely outweigh any downfalls!
(I mean, if I had to trade one fault for a different "equal" one...
would I really?) So many things he does NOT do that I am really happy about! I really wouldn't want to trade, nope.
And I myself have many faults, and he puts up with me!
I am working on focusing more on the good things about him. I should start a list.
♥
I remember before my daughter got married. She told me she prayed (and still does) that God will blind her to her husband's faults.
♥
sMiLeS,
