I have heard more than a thousand times in my lifetime how
important it is to think before you speak, and I am sure that you have as well.
My parents have told me, my teachers have told me, and pretty much every adult
figure that has played a major role in my life has said this statement to me at
least once, sometime or another. Hearing it so much in my life has pretty much
trained my brain to remember that statement, and to never forget it. I will
admit, there have been times when I have remembered that statement after I had
already said something that I probably should have thought through a little more
before allowing to come out of my mouth. More than just thinking through what
you say, you need to filter what you post. Whatever you post on Facebook,
Twitter, or any other social networking site has the potential to travel faster
than the juiciest piece of gossip in the halls of your high school. The moment
you hit send on that status you just wrote up, it instantly appears on everyone
else’s computer screen or cell phone for them to see. In this case, you have
the potential to hurt more than one person at the same time, to a greater
extent than you ever had the potential in a face to face conversation with
someone. By the time you realize that what you posted could possibly really
hurt someone, the amount of people who have already seen it is far greater than
you would expect. The beauty of being in a world that is so technologically advanced
that you can send an email, text, or picture to someone in seconds can also be
a nightmare when you realize how fast something you said can travel.
talking, I love texting, I love Twitter, I love Facebook, and I absolutely love
people! I am probably on Facebook and Twitter about a dozen times throughout
the day. I love hearing what’s going on in people’s lives, I love keeping up
with old friends and new friends, and I love sharing what’s going in my life
too. Because I am constantly doing anything that involves being as social as
possible, I have to be very careful about what I say. I have had my fair share
of learning experiences when it comes to saying something before really
thinking about what I had said. Although my intentions have been far from
attempting to hurt someone, my words have done just that. I can remember plenty
of times where I would say something in an argument with my parents, and not
really think through what I said and my words got me into trouble. I can also
remember a particular time, about a year ago, where I posted on Facebook that I
was “having a bad day.” And in that small post I was referencing someone who
had really hurt my feelings that day, and I posted a status about it in which
they immediately knew was referencing them. Even though I did it with no other
intention but to state a fact, the person involved and people who knew about
the situation immediately knew what I was talking about. Through this
experience I learned a very valuable lesson that truly holds great importance
in my walk with God.
words you speak, the word you tweet, and the words you Facebook have the power
to uplift and the power to tear down. Words are so important that in searching
in the book of Proverbs alone, there were more than thirty verse references
addressing our words. I think that means they are pretty important.
one person post on Facebook or Twitter something that is, in an underlying way,
talking about someone else. They may not be directly referencing the person’s
name, or the group of people that they are talking about, but it is clear in
their post they are talking about someone else. Although, everyone who is
reading that post may not know exactly who they are talking about, it is
written in such a way that the person the post is about would know immediately when
they read it. Facebook and Twitter is
not meant to be used as a confrontational tool to get your point across to
someone else. That is not the reason it was designed, and it is not the way
it should be used. When you post about someone else, with a mean and spiteful
undertone, it can be extremely hurtful to that person. You owe that other
person, who is a human being just like you, the decency and respect to approach
them face to face on the matter that is frustrating or upsetting you. Although
you may not be mentioning the person’s name, you are disrespecting them as well
as gossiping about them. Next to not talking about other people, you shouldn’t
air your frustrations about situations whether it is related to your job,
church, family, school, friends, or anything of that matter. When you post about
your frustrations in regards to any of those things, you immediately are putting
a questioning thought in the mind of others who read it. For example, if I
posted “I cannot stand how my family always picks fights with me. They just don’t
understand me.” When you read that, you would immediately develop a
misconception regarding my family or myself. In posting that statement, I would
have just disrespected my family as well as compromised their integrity. Remember, your words have power.
ladies I believe that we struggle with it the most. For some reason, women
always have the tendency to gossip and spread rumors like it’s their full time
job. We are very emotional beings, so sometimes we speak out of our emotions
without thinking. We speak out of our hurt, frustration, or feelings of being unappreciated
or misunderstood. When we say something in moments like this, we aren’t truly
thinking about what we are saying before we speak. Our mind and discernment is
clouded by all these emotions that we feel at that moment.
year, to be careful of the words you choose. Be careful of what you speak, what
you tweet, and what you Facebook. I don’t want people to be hurt by anything I
say, I don’t want them to feel attacked by anything I post. If anything, I want
my words to uplift and encourage anyone who hears them (or reads them).
Although, I am not perfect in this area at all, I believe that I have grown to
a point to where I can challenge you to do the same thing. Think about the
words that you are speaking. Think about the words that you are posting.
God. God does not take lightly what we speak, He made sure to take the time to
communicate this to us. The words of the Godly and the words of the wicked are
carefully outlined in the book of Proverbs. I challenge you to hold on to those
words, and implement them into your daily life. I challenge you to be a woman
that speaks only words that uplift and encourage those in your life as well as
those who are around you.
Godly encourage. The words of the Godly are like precious silver. They come
with understanding, and are often spoke with wisdom. The words of the Godly are
spoken with knowledge; words spoken with wisdom bring many benefits. The words
of the Godly are spoken with truth, and will stand the test of time. The words of
wise will keep the Godly safe. Gentle words are a tree of life to all those
that hear. The words of the Godly are pure. The right words bring satisfaction.
The Godly are known by their understanding and pleasant words. The hearts of
the Godly think carefully before speaking.**
Awesome post! I loved reading it and such a wonderful reminder for allll of us!