Day 12 : Speak Life

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths,

but only such as is good for building up,

as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, 

and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.  

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, 

forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:29-32 (NLT)

I’m inspired by a godly woman from our church, Delores. A year or so before my illness, she lost her fight with stage 4 brain cancer. She was a vital lady around 60 years old living life to the full. She and her husband ran the local annual rodeo and a western store.

One Saturday evening, she laid down because she had a headache. The next thing you know, she was having a full blown seizure. Soon afterward, we learned it was cancer. I have never seen someone have such a positive attitude. It was the most beautiful thing to see. She encouraged the entire church during her journey to heaven. She would always tell us,

“God is in control, I’m just along for the ride.”

I’m sure she had her days, when no one was around, but she was such a blessing. One day, I was sitting in her hospital room when the nurse came in to take vitals or something routine. The procedure must have hurt, because Delores spoke harshly to the nurse. Though I’ve heard people speak much more harshly to their nurses, immediately, she was apologizing for speaking harshly...even though she was lying there in great pain. I was amazed at her grace. I can only pray that I treat by healthcare workers and caretakers with half that much kindness.

  

Speaking life to others is a good practice... 

... even if you aren’t sick. I want to take to heart the words most of our parents have often quoted ..

“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

To the best of our abilities, we should speak kindly to everyone. As you are able, be sure to say thank you, whenever possible. I tend to have trouble when getting a blood draw. I’ve actually come home with large bruises on both arms. So I always try to brag on the technician when they do it well. After my stay in the hospital, we took flowers up the nurse's station. You don’t have to take it that far, but a kind word of thanks goes a long way.

I’m not saying this is always easy to do, but I do know this, what is in your heart, is what comes out. (Luke 6:35) Therefore, I would say if our hearts and minds are filled with scripture, that is what will come out.

And also, pray as David prayed:

CHALLENGE:

I’ve been reading 3-5 Psalms and 1 Proverb every day. I challenge you to give it a try.. Try one or all of these scriptures today:

Psalm 12                                      My Joy Dare

Psalm 42                                      1. great nurses

Psalm 72                                      2. The Word of God

Psalm 102                                    3. Good examples to follow

Psalm 132

Proverbs 12

P.S. I keep thinking as I write these posts that this would be a whole lot easier if we are already filling our minds and hearts with His Word before the trials come! I love this little app that helps me learn scripture on the go (or in the waiting room).

Scripture Typer

Waiting & Memorizing,