Do you push people away with your words?


Proverbs 25:24--Sigh. For many years of our marriage, I filled our home with words--complaints, whines, criticism, pettiness, things that were only important to me.

I so filled our home I pushed those I loved away from me with my need to be right and in control.

There was little room for my husband and daughter to share their lives because of my verbal hoarding. I couldn't understand why our dinner meals were one-sided conversations--my side.

Believe it or not, I honestly didn't realize I was doing it. Not until the moment I saw the results of my toxic verbal trash on the face of my young daughter. She looked as though I had slapped her, when I hadn't touched a hair on her head.

That was the key for me--seeing the looks on my loved ones faces. It was devastating to realize I was the cause of their pain. It was one of the most life-changing moments in my life.

From that time on, I began observing the faces of my family. If I was going overboard, or monopolizing the conversation, I could see they weren't engaged. I'm still fine-tuning understanding those facial tells, but I am better. I even let others talk from time to time. 





As women, we set the tone for our home. We are one of the primary reasons our family either views their home as a sanctuary away from the world, or just an annex to the chaos outside.

Is our home filled with GOD's words of love, grace, and mercy, or words that push our family away? Does our family feel safe or on guard? Mothers--and fathers--can create an environment that is Godly and joyous.

It's our choice. It's our privilege.

May we make room for love in our home, my friends.

Proverbs 25:24--Better to dwell in a corner of a roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. Tree of Life Bible Society Tree of Life Version - TLV#tlvbible #tlvproverbs

[WATCH Tree of Life Bible Society's CEO, Daniah Greenberg and me, Terri Gillespie dig a little deeper with this proverb. Check us out at Tree of Life Bible Society, Monday through Friday, LIVE at 8:30am EST. Watch previous episodes there as well. Stay wise, my friends!]

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WISDOM'S JOURNEY: Are you being diverted? Proverbs 4:27

Image
Are you being diverted? TODAY'S PROVERB: Do not turn to the right or to the left. Divert your foot from evil. Proverbs 4:27 I love flying at night. It's a vivid perspective of just how small we really are. Looking at the expanse of the sky with its stars is peaceful, stable. Gazing below at the man-made lights that glow with seemingly brighter intensity. But, that glow is temperamental. Subject to the frailties of humanity and technology, and believe it or not, dependent upon the grace of God. This verse reminds me that until we rise above our humanity, we'll be diverted from the bigness of the Creator of the Universe. It seems our world offers a plethora of distractions. They don't have to be evil, they simply have to be distractions that lead to diverting us from God's calling and purpose in our life. Like the bright city lights, they can drown out the still, small pinpricks of true light from the stars. Until we rise above. What are some of the distract...
Read more

WISDOM'S JOURNEY: Are you a voice for God's covenant? Proverbs 2:16-17

Image
Are you a voice for God's covenant? TODAY'S PROVERB: ...to deliver you from a seducing woman—a wayward wife with seductive words, who forsakes the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God. Proverbs 2:16-17 Infidelity. The last few generations tend to think infidelity was something they created. For certain they have developed it into an art form using film, music, literature, and now, social media. Throughout Scrip ture and history, women have played as much of a role in this sin as men. Honestly, as women, we should know better. These days, women tend to look at fornication and adultery as their rights -- their choice. We can justify and defend all we want, but the truth is that it all boils down to this: our choice is whether we sin or don't sin. Not a popular thing to say. There's nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Humanity has been sinning since the Garden. And infidelity has the same patterns and outcomes as it did thousands of y...
Read more

WISDOM'S JOURNEY: Are you lame or reliable? Proverbs 25:19

Image
Are you lame or reliable? TODAY'S PROVERB: Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is confidence in the unfaithful in time of trouble. Proverbs 25:19 I have a "trick" ankle. There appears to be no rhyme or reason when it decides to give out. I'll take a step and it's like the bones turn to rubber. A misstep on stairs or a ladder or while carrying something can be treacherous. If I knew what caused the weakness then I could avoid  placing demands on it. But, alas, I don't know, so I can never fully trust it. Today's proverb counsels us about "trick ankle" people. Do you have people like this in your life? For the most part, they are reliable, but at unpredictable -- and inevitably important moments -- they are not reliable. Even when we forgive them for these events, we're still unsure if we can depend on them. It leaves a small residue on our ability to trust them completely -- at least for a season. My ankle is a vivid reminder of the import...
Read more