Fill Your Mouth
But now put away and rid yourselves of these things: anger, rage, bad feeling toward others, curses and slander, and foulmouthed abuse and shameful utterances from your lips!
Col. 3:8 Amplified
Getting angry and having hurt feelings are inevitable in this life. People are not perfect and from time to time we will hurt each other. Recognize that being angry is not a sin, in and of itself, but what you do with your anger can be.
Our feelings themselves are not bad. They are part of our soul and given to us by God. Feelings are shaped and developed by our choices, thoughts, words, and perceptions. Emotions allow us to experience the fullness of life. Without frustration it is hard to fully appreciate peace. Without grief or sorrow it is hard to really enjoy happiness. Without anger it is hard to understand contentment. Feelings are meant to enhance our life in this world not give us an excuse to hurt each other.
Our feelings can be seen by others in our actions, attitudes, and words.
I grew up in a home ruled by my mom's feelings. She was sick and her emotions would fly out of her mouth unchecked. When she got mad at me, she would say and do very harsh and hurtful things. This created in me a huge fear of making mistakes.
Because of my mom's example, I thought that I had to express all of my emotions. But God (I love saying that!) has taught me how to acknowledge my feelings without having to demonstrate them. In other words, I can get angry and still be nice to the person I am mad at. I don't have to like someone in order to see their good qualities. And I don't have to agree with or approve of someone else's choices in order to be respectful to them or say something nice about them.
This is how love prevails in every situation. We can allow each other to be imperfect just as God has us. God has never said a bad word about you and He never will. He may not like what you do but that does not affect His love for you. This is what Jesus meant when He said, "love one another just as I have loved you."
You can learn to control your emotions with God's help.
God never asks us to do anything that He has not given us the ability to do. So start with your words. Think about what you're going to say before you say it. Refuse to say anything bad about another person no matter what they do or how bad they hurt you. Use your words to build up life not destroy it.
Practice sensing your emotions without revealing them to the people around you. Keep your words kind even when your emotions are hot. At first this will seem very awkward but keep at it and it will become very natural. Learning to fill your mouth with words of life regardless of your feelings is part of learning to walk in love.
Remember Thumper's famous words: If you can't say nuthin nice, then don't say nuthin at all.
Heidirn
Col. 3:8 Amplified
Getting angry and having hurt feelings are inevitable in this life. People are not perfect and from time to time we will hurt each other. Recognize that being angry is not a sin, in and of itself, but what you do with your anger can be.
Our feelings themselves are not bad. They are part of our soul and given to us by God. Feelings are shaped and developed by our choices, thoughts, words, and perceptions. Emotions allow us to experience the fullness of life. Without frustration it is hard to fully appreciate peace. Without grief or sorrow it is hard to really enjoy happiness. Without anger it is hard to understand contentment. Feelings are meant to enhance our life in this world not give us an excuse to hurt each other.
Our feelings can be seen by others in our actions, attitudes, and words.
I grew up in a home ruled by my mom's feelings. She was sick and her emotions would fly out of her mouth unchecked. When she got mad at me, she would say and do very harsh and hurtful things. This created in me a huge fear of making mistakes.
Because of my mom's example, I thought that I had to express all of my emotions. But God (I love saying that!) has taught me how to acknowledge my feelings without having to demonstrate them. In other words, I can get angry and still be nice to the person I am mad at. I don't have to like someone in order to see their good qualities. And I don't have to agree with or approve of someone else's choices in order to be respectful to them or say something nice about them.
This is how love prevails in every situation. We can allow each other to be imperfect just as God has us. God has never said a bad word about you and He never will. He may not like what you do but that does not affect His love for you. This is what Jesus meant when He said, "love one another just as I have loved you."
You can learn to control your emotions with God's help.
God never asks us to do anything that He has not given us the ability to do. So start with your words. Think about what you're going to say before you say it. Refuse to say anything bad about another person no matter what they do or how bad they hurt you. Use your words to build up life not destroy it.
Practice sensing your emotions without revealing them to the people around you. Keep your words kind even when your emotions are hot. At first this will seem very awkward but keep at it and it will become very natural. Learning to fill your mouth with words of life regardless of your feelings is part of learning to walk in love.
Remember Thumper's famous words: If you can't say nuthin nice, then don't say nuthin at all.
Heidirn
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