10/29/12

| call me a fool |

I have a tendency to vent...  about a lot of things.

For some reason when I put the expression of daily issues and stresses under the category of "venting", it makes me feel better about the energy spent on being frustrated.

I like to tell people that if they want to know my REAL thoughts - not my edited thoughts for family and friends on Facebook - they should follow me on Twitter. I tend to use that platform as a way to… get things off my chest.

This weekend I decided to go back and look through my last month of "tweets" and see just how much I was venting. Whether it was telling Barbara Walters off (seriously, she drives me NUTS on The View! #MomProbs), or ranting about "those" sorts of people (always un-named), there was a lot of venting going on.

Often times I tell myself that it's OK to "get it off my chest", and the belief that the words I type aren't a big deal, because nobody can actually hear me say them, is a lie.

Words are words, regardless of whether they are written or spoken - and once the are out there we can't take them back.

"As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." (Proverbs 23:7)

We live out the depths of our hearts in our actions and words. 
What we think about, is reflected in the words we speak.
What we are passionate about displays itself through communication.

How can I expect one outcome with the words I post on this blog, if I am careless with the rest of the words I speak and write? Trust--- I love being real about things, and I do not claim to be someone who has it all together, but I constantly strive, and with that strive, comes failure.

Today I read this:
"A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back." Proverbs 29:11 (ESV)

Is the temporary satisfaction of a "good vent" worth it?
Is it worth looking foolish? Or is wisdom more your thing?

Are my words worth the label? Foolish, or wise. Sometimes it costs more to say nothing - but the return is a level of wisdom that is priceless.

The pain of biting our tongue pales in comparison to the pain of pulling the foot out of our mouth. 

I think a lot of times we get the order of things backwards:
"If I say what I really think, I will be justified."
"I need to let them know that I'm not putting up with this!"
"I am too smart to stay quiet on this one!"
"It's my right to say how I feel!"
All of which I have said many, many, many... many times.

"Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent." (Proverbs 17:28)

I read a little further in Proverbs 29 and picked up this gem:
"Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him."

Eeeeeek. I'm a sad case.

Is the temporary satisfaction of "getting it out there" holding me back from a greater life and becoming all that He wants me to be?

I hear smart people on HGTV saying "measure twice, cut once" all the time, so I am adopting that principle - with words, both written and spoken:

| Think twice - say/write once |

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." - Abraham Lincoln

Call me a fool, but that seems like a good way to live.

{ it was too easy. i had to. }

1 comment:

  1. I enjoyed this post. Thank you for your honesty! Thank you for the refreshment from the Lord.

    God bless,
    Kaysie

    ReplyDelete