What Are You Saying?

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” – Psalm 19:14

Words are important to me.  Sometimes my hesitancy to speak is mistaken for me being quiet or shy.  I am not shy and it is not that I don’t have anything to say or that I don’t have an opinion or perspective worth sharing.  My respect for the value of words and how they shape our life, has always left me slow to speak.  Unfortunately many people frivolously scatter their words.  Saying whatever they want, when they want, with no regard for the seeds of destruction that are sown.   People will also use words to slander, deceive and manipulate with no care for those that get caught in its web. 

I understand now more than ever that I must say what God has placed in me.  Our culture is permeated with messages of doubt, despair and darkness.  We have to decide if we will be a part of the solution or if we are supporting the problem.  I have not understood why we would waste our time to speak profanity, vulgarity and empty words instead of allowing our words to be purposeful.  If we don't speak life and truth then we are speaking death and lies.

This is only my 2^nd blog posting but I want to use the space to share a short piece that I wrote several years ago. 

Listen Up!

My words

Written or spoken

You need to hear

Ink on a page

Or embracing your ear

Silenced, ignored

Disregarded for too long…

Am I to blame?

Weak signal

The reception’s not strong

Hello…Are you there?

Can you hear me…Now?

The time is here

I must be heard

Life or Death

Power in each word

It is my voice

How I use, my choice

Power to heal

Comfort or liberate

Yet our words

Like bricks

We hurl to berate

Someone struggled

To free my voice

Choosing to be silent

It’s my death choice

Today I choose life

My words the key

To unlock fear’s vice

Pressure on my chest

I need a release

Bottled up thoughts

I must profess

Written or spoken

I must let go

Who will hear

Will they care?

I don’t know

Confident, convinced

My words are needed

To save someone’s life

Or my own insights heeded

Listen up!

Because I must speak

Uncertain of whom

My message will reach

My story, will you heart it?

Or read it in a book

I must be selfish

Need to stop the burn

Right now I confess

Survival is my concern

My message, I don’t care

If you choose not to hear

The weight of my words

No longer can I bare

Throbbing in my belly

Resolving the internal fight

Contractions intense

I must bring forth life

Pushing forth before I burst

This is the day, I need relief

Letting go…giving birth

Shhh…I’m about to speak!

How you use your words is really a matter of choice but I encourage you to take a minute and think before you speak.  The Bible lets us know that the power of life and death is in our tongue.  Realize that what you are saying is affecting your life and the life of those connected to you.  Where you are in your life is linked to what you have said.  What you have said is connected to what you believe.  Are your words and conversation acceptable to God?  Has anything you said pushed someone or yourself closer to God or have you disregarded the power of your words.  Has what you have been saying arrested your own development?

I pray today that you will take a minute to think about your faith and your relationship with God.  The only way that God can help us to tame our tongue and value our words is to first deal with our heart.  I think we must discipline ourselves to refrain from saying things we don't need to.  However, we must make sure we are allowing our voice to be heard when we are required to speak life when death is surrounding us.  What we say matters!  Just be sure that you are using it for the right reason.   

From my heart to yours...Rhonda Nicole Curry