Breathe and Then Speak

Man, those Sadducees were tough. They really thought they could trip up the Lord our God with their legalistic questions. (Mark 12:18-23) Sure Jesus was truly man, but He also never ceased being pure God at the same time. You can’t out think God.

Now the rest of us? Well, we get tripped up all the time. At least I do, so please tell me I am not alone! I think we have all had those moments when we walk away from a conversation and think “Ugh—I should have said this!” Or “Oops—I shouldn’t have said that. “ As we re-live difficult conversations we can frequently find things that we wish we would have said. After four decades of biting my tongue when I should speak and putting my foot in my mouth when I should have been silent, I still work on prudence in my speech.

It isn’t easy.

My words sometimes come faster than my thoughts.

And so I am attempting to breathe rather than speak. Just a deep breath. I need to slow it down. I try to breathe in the Holy Spirit; asking Him for the words He wants me to speak gives me needed confidence in times of conflict on confusion. He gives me confidence when I doubt my ability and gives me guidance as I examine the necessity of speech.

I hear Saint Paul’s words as he says we don’t have a spirit of cowardice. (2 Timothy 1:7) He doesn’t contrast the cowardice with courage, which is also wonderful by the way; Saint Paul contrasts cowardice with power, love, and self-control. These come from the Holy Spirit. God Himself equips us with the self-control, love, and power we need. Sometimes what we need to do is just slow it down, pray, process what we want to say, and make sure that what we say comes from a place of love. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts and words. He will guard your tongue from imprudence and supply you with the wisdom you need.

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your thoughts and words.Click to tweet

Pray this "Come, Holy Spirit" prayer today. Invite Him in.

Dr. MaryRuth Hackett is Director of Operations for Blessed is She. She loves historical fiction, dark chocolate, watching her children play soccer, a good cup of coffee (decaf please) and the quiet of the early morning. She holds a PhD in Educational Psychology and has a passion for helping parents understand the way their children grow and develop. You can find out more about her here. She is the author of our Blessed Conversations: Leader Guide found here.