Scripture has a lot to say about words. The Bible begins with an expression of their power as God speaks creation into existence. It ends with a warning not to add or subtract to the words God gives. Along the way, God promises, “So will my word be which goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) Clearly, God believes words are powerful, and it is not just God’s words that matter, ours have an impact as well.

Proverbs 18:21 tells us that, “the power of life and death are in the tongue.” Our words create, or destroy; they bless, or they curse. We too, created in the image of God, create with our words. Unlike God, our words do not always create wholeness, and sometimes they actually harm. What we say is truly powerful, and it changes our lives, affects the atmosphere around us, and impacts others. Words are not neutral, they make a difference. This is a stunning reality in a time when we flippantly throw words around, without thought of what we are creating. 

I wanted to write something last week, but with all of the words flooding the world, it seemed prudent to wait. As I reflected with my wife on all that was coming through my social media feeds, it became clear that many words were being spoken without much thought about their effect. It has become a way of life for us. We post every thought, every feeling, in real time. What would have been reflected upon and discussed with a few close friends before others knew, is now on the internet for the world to see, often faster than we can type.

It can feel good and cathartic to put our words out there for the world to see. Sometimes, someone has already put our words into a meme, and it even saves us the effort of typing. What seems good, however, is not always what it seems. I know that all too well. There are a number of posts and replies that I wish I could take back, but they are out there, and they have an impact, not all of it representative of God, or even the best of who I am. That quick image or 140 character tweet, whether sent by those in the highest offices, or the average individual, changes the world. 

The ease with which we toss our thoughts out to others when there is so much power in them is stunning, and what is even more sobering is that God has some serious opinions about what we say. In Matthew 12:36, Jesus says, “I tell you, on the day of judgement people will give an account for every careless word they speak.” Yes, we will answer to God for every word we spoke, texted, tweeted, and posted – every word.

We can ease our conscious by saying, “Well, I was angry,” “I’m entitled to my opinion,” even, “I wasn’t thinking,” but we are still accountable for what we say. Our excuses do not change that reality that we are entrusted with a very powerful gift, and we are responsible for how we use it. Do we, like God, use our words to create beauty, to build up, to heal, or do we speak words that tear down and destroy what God created? When we attack a person, we attack one created in the image of God. When we pour out unforgiveness, hate, and anger on the world, we damage the world God created. It is worthy of reflection. The good news is that we also have the power in our words to help people see their true identity in Christ, discover their destiny, and live in peace with one another.

Maybe it is time to be careful with our words; to ponder them before God prior to releasing them on the world. Maybe it is time to recognize the tremendous opportunity we have to create a better world just by what we say, or don’t say. Maybe it is time to speak less and listen more, and to offer a much needed word at the right time. I know it is such a time for me. Maybe it is that time for you as well.

The post Words appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

I didn’t know how exhausted I was until I took some time off after Christmas. I knew things were busy, very busy, and I knew I was feeling some stress from it all, but I didn’t realize how much I needed to stop.

Busyness can be one of the greatest challenges in my life, and one of the greatest obstacles to healthy relationships with my family and with God. Caught up in the flurry of activity, some of the more valuable parts of life are slowly, imperceptibly eroded. Due to a series of unique events that occurred near the beginning of September, my already active schedule was overwhelmed with extra responsibilities. Many wonderful things happened during the past four months, but the experience was quite draining.

Unfortunately, I am not alone. Conversations with people I minister with, reading numerous social media posts from friends, even casual conversations in restaurants and the coffee shop all point to a growing sense of hurry and stress. Work requires more to be done in less time. Family issues create new layers of concern and frustration. Holidays mingle their joy with mountains of added responsibilities. In the midst of all of the activity and concern, our bodies feel the anxious weight and can even add health concerns to our over-full plate. All of this is set against a backdrop of local, national, and global concerns. It can all be draining and disheartening.

Thankfully, this is not God’s plan for our lives, nor do we have to settle for this way of living. No, we cannot abandon our responsibilities, and we should be living with a passion for our goals and our purpose, but we can make space to be renewed in spirit as we open our lives to the refreshing wind of God’s Spirit. The Psalmist declared a great invitation from heaven with the simple words, “Be still and know that I am God.” Successfully living life is more than completing tasks on a list, it is savoring the presence of God and drawing strength from his Spirit within us.

God prodded my attention to this on the day after Christmas; the second day of my winter vacation. While reading a book on my Kindle, one I bought for pleasure, not for work, I found myself trying to push through to finish quickly. Sitting in the grocery store parking lot, waiting for my wife to return to the car, I was rushing to reach the end. Embarrassingly, I even caught myself thinking of how soon I could add another completed book to Goodreads! What was worse was that this was symbolic for so much of my life. As I spent time discussing this with God in prayer, later in the day, God made me very aware of how easily I can miss being with God while I am busy doing things for God.

Successful people know what needs to be done. They set goals, know their purpose and their gifts, and they track their progress. Being goal-oriented is important, but so is being balanced. Those who are truly successful also know how to tend to their souls; how to pause and be renewed, in order to be their best in the other areas of their lives. Even Jesus knew the sacred value of being with God. A quick look at his life reveals a daily routine of rising early to spend time in prayer, soaking in the presence of God. He also took extended times away with the disciples. If the Savior made time for this renewal, we should too.

No matter how busy our schedule is, we can make time to be still with God. In fact, it will be in our busiest times that we will need that time the most. This is an investment. It is time well spent as we regain our creativity, as God recreates us. In our hurry to accomplish things, we must not neglect time to be with God, and we must not make this one more thing to check off of our list. Healthy relationships take time, and healthy living takes attention. When we are willing to be still, and give our time and attention to God, we will find the balance, wisdom, and strength to accomplish all that lies ahead, and remain healthy as we do.

The post Be Still appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.

The experience did raise an important question, “How do we make time for study and spiritual growth while living busy, sometimes over-full lives?” There are many tools to help strengthen our study, but if we lack time, how can we put them into practice?

Too often, the responses to this concern are guilt-laden comments about our priorities and commitment; suggesting that if we were only a little more serious and willing to work a little harder, we would not be facing any struggle. The truth is, we can be seriously committed and yet remain challenged in our attempts to achieve what God put on our hearts to do.

Journeying through these past weeks, dreaming of making time for everything, I realized that many things were suffering from my frustration over my inability to fit it all in. Greatest among these were my own peace and the peace of my family. I became aware that I was increasingly defining my life by what I was accomplishing, or not accomplishing. Not only did this increase my frustration, but it is no way to steward the gift of life God gives.

As I sought God in prayer, in the moments I could carve out, the words of John 10:10 kept coming to mind, “The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” What powerful words from Jesus. He came to give life, not consume it. It was clear that I was sacrificing his gift of being able to fully live to instead, be bound by the trappings of doing things. Instead of celebrating the beauty and wonder of each day, I was buried in my extended list of things to do.

It is true that we all have things that must be done. It is also true that there will be seasons when much will be asked of us and our schedules will be overfull. However, even in these moments, maybe especially in these moments, we must not lose sight of what it means to really live the abundant life of Christ. We may not be able to commit the time we would like to our study, but that is precisely when the study we did in other seasons can bear us up, strengthening and empowering us to find life in our lists of obligations. We will have to make choices, sometimes very difficult ones, about how we use our time, but trading the joy of life for a few tasks completed will never be the right one. Maybe, we simply need to give ourselves a break and trust God.

Wherever you are today, remember you are not alone. God is with you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You have purpose and destiny and more ability than you know. You may not have the time for study and action you originally hoped for, but you have the Holy Spirit who will, as Jesus said, “remind you of all that I [Jesus] said to you and teach you everything,” and who will give you all the power you need.

The post Give Yourself a Break appeared first on Thinking Faith Cafe.