Out of the Abundance of the Heart the Mouth Speaks

     

For a lot of years, I've been silent. I used to say that I'm quiet by nature, but I'm beginning to realize more and more that the things we go through shape us and mold us into the people we are. I've heard Dr. Phil say that when a child is abused or mishandled, it changes who they were meant to become. I never understood that until recently. Looking back over my life and the hardships that I've endured, I see how they've caused me to be silent for a lot of years. I would cry rather than say what I was feeling. I'd expect people to guess what was wrong with me instead of just coming out and saying it. I'd allow myself to be talked over, abused, mishandled all because I felt that my voice didn't matter.

Writing has always been cathartic for me. It was never so much about my audience or thinking about who would see what I wrote. Simply the process of putting words on paper to form sentences and paragraphs made me feel heard. It was a release of lots of pent up emotions. It just felt good to get it all out!

There are times, however when writing is not suitable. There are times when words must be spoken and not written. Texts, emails, facebook posts, inbox / direct messages, tweets and the like can often be misconstrued, misinterpreted and misunderstood. In this electronic age, it often becomes more convenient to communicate electronically. But the danger of digital communication is that the tone of the message is often lost in translation. When reading a written message, it is often difficult to determine the writer's intent.

 

 If unsure of the author's intent, the best thing to do is ask. Have a conversation to determine the author's purpose. The author's character speaks volumes as well. What you know of that person will help you determine the intent of the message. Lewis Cass said "People may doubt what you say, but they will always believe what you do." So look at their previous actions to determine their intent. If the person has shown nothing but love and concern, then chances are, the intent was not to offend.

The Bible asks "how can ye, being evil, speak good things?" It then informs us "for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Matthew 12:34 What's in our hearts will show. If still unsure, just keep watching. For "he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." John 3:21 The truth always prevails. "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." Matthew 7:20 So whether we write or speak, our intentions will be made known.

I'm grateful that God is giving me the courage to be more vocal and speak up for what I believe. I'm becoming better able to voice my concerns, still in a tactful and respectful way and with love. God is transforming me into a person who speaks from the heart and articulates intentions. I'm learning to be vocal for the voiceless but silent to the noise. God is showing me when to speak and when to be silent. And I'm proud of the me He is making me to be.

 

“Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.”
― Oprah Winfrey
- See more at: http://alifetimeofwisdom.com/integrity/12-inspirational-quotes-about-integrity/#sthash.yTpJfUPX.dpuf

"Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change." Wayne Dyer

Sharon C.
7/14/14

“Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.”
― Oprah Winfrey
- See more at: http://alifetimeofwisdom.com/integrity/12-inspirational-quotes-about-integrity/#sthash.yTpJfUPX.dpuf

5 Days of Positivity - Day 5

5 Days of Positivity - Day 5
1) My niece and nephew are finally spending the night!!! Yaaaay!
2) It was positively hilarious watching them play kickball. LMBO!!!
3) Prayer tonight was FIRE!!!
#AsWeContinuE

5 Days of Positivity - Day 4

5 Days of Positivity - Day 4
1) I've had a fairly productive day, but I've been able to rest, which I needed after being at the beach with the fam yesterday. I'm a little sore, but it's bearable.
2) Shay cleaned her room!!!! Yaaaaaay! Lol!
3) The whole family sat on the couch and watched TV together. Oddly, we watched Killer Kids, but we were all together! Lol!

5 Days of Positivity - Day 3

5 Days of Positivity - Day 3
1) The day started out with me feeling a little flustered, overwhelmed and frustrated, but God quickly reminded me that it was nothing that He and I couldn't handle!
2) I had a fun fun fun day at the beach with the family!!! 😀🏊🏄🌞
3) Last but best of all, what could have been a tragedy ended in victory. Shay was being swept away by the current but her dad was able to dive in and save her. To God be all the glory!!!

5 Days of Positivity – Day 2

5 Days of Positivity – Day 2

1)   Today started out with prayer that was so powerful, we shut down the phone line! Although we got disconnected, many of us continued to pray after the call ended. #UnitedWomenPray #UCCC

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”

2)   Yesterday we celebrated Independence Day. Thank God for freedom and liberty!

John 8:36 “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

3)   I’m grateful for my church family. Their love and support means so much. And we always have fun together!

Proverbs 18:24 “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”

#AsWeContinuE

 

Let Go and Let God ... REALLY!

I know it sounds cliche and we've probably heard it and said it a thousand times, but this morning, on Independence Day, God gave me an epiphany that will truly set us free ... if we let it.

Many of us are control freaks (if we're honest enough to admit it). It's hard for us to let go of the way WE want things to be. Sometimes, that's due to circumstances beyond our control (usually some form of abuse or feeling of powerlessness as a child), but it can be crippling in our adult lives if we don't deal with it and conquer it. We must truly learn to let go and let God!

Sometimes, you can want someone to do something sooooo badly that you cry, beg, plead, wish, pray, get angry, talk about them, be mean to them, be nice to them, bribe them, inspire them, motivate them, talk to them, talk about them, make incentives for them, make excuses for them ... And after you're exhausted from all of that, you'll realize something that my former pastor, the late great Overseer Lonnie C. Harris III used to say "People do what people wanna do." Lonnie 1:1 And I'd venture to add that the next verse would be "People don't do what people don't wanna do." Lonnie 1:2 No matter how hard we try, we can't make people do what WE want them to do. They're not likely to wake up one day and say "John Doe REALLY wants me to do XYZ so I'm gonna do it!" 

The question then becomes what should John Doe's posture / position / response be? This is where the challenge begins for many of us. We begin to withhold things from the person because they won't do what we want them to do. We try to find ways to punish them. We choose not to interact with them. We begin to blame ourselves. We fill our heads with negative thoughts. We say "If (s)he loved me enough, (s)he would do it for me." We say "Maybe I'm not good enough to make him / her change." 

WWJD? What Would Jesus Do? We must show the love of Christ in spite of our differences and let God deal with people and their decisions. We must even show that love to ourselves! Often times, the enemy is in me - meaning we can be our own worst enemies! Negative self talk is very harmful. If we wouldn't let others talk to us in such a way, why would we speak to ourselves that way?

This message came straight from heaven for me!!! There are sooooo many people in my life right now that I just wish would do what "I" think they should do and it's making me feel frustrated, sad, angry, depressed, lonely, abandoned. But God is showing me how to release the reigns and let Him do what He does. It's not easy and I can't help but think people would be so much better off if they just did what I suggest. Lol. But as much as I THINK I know, God knows sooooo much more. I MUST accept what He allows and let His plan unfold! 


God is the ultimate judge and jury. He decides if a person is disobedient or not. Perhaps God hasn't spoken to that person yet regarding the issue. Or maybe your nagging voice is so loud in their ear that they can't hear God. All we have to do is lift Jesus up ... He'll do the drawing! Let God do it. He doesn't need our help! #ContinuEButStayOutOfGodsWay

   

5 Days of Positivity - Day 1

So I was tagged on facebook to post 3 positive things for 5 days. Well here goes Day 1 ...

1) God is sovereign and despite how bleak and dismal things may appear, it's all part of His plan and He's got it all in control! 
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end"

2) I'm grateful for a chance to celebrate my daughter today. 16 years ago, God blessed me with Shakeira Conaway. I'm honored to be her mother! 
Psalms 127:3 " Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward"

3) It's supposed to rain later today. I pray it waits until after the cookout. But I'm excited for the rain that will water the seeds I've planted!
Isaiah 30:23 "Then shall he give the rain of thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous:"

#AsWeContinuE