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Single Minded
by Michelle Brinson
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:6
When I was growing up, my dad used to always tell me, “young lady, you better learn to think before you speak, otherwise that mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble.”
My daddy was one of the smartest men I knew. I wish I’d listened to him more. I wish I’d paid more attention to the wisdom he offered. My daddy passed away almost 2 years ago. It was sudden and swift and left us reeling. But his legacy lives on and I can still hear many of the things he said to me growing up that are now just a part of me. Especially this one.
I’ll admit it. I’m prideful. I hate to be wrong. I want to be right. I want to be considered smart. Yet, this type of attitude can cause all kinds of problems and drama. And believe me, it has.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten upset with someone and the first thing I want to say is, “You are the problem,” or “What’s wrong with you?” As I’ve gotten older, at least I’ve held off saying those words out loud. But I still have said those things in my head. The downside of that is it affects your thinking.
I heard a speaker once suggest we stop the “stinkin’ thinkin’”. She definitely has a point. Regardless of whether or not I say what I’m thinking, I’m still thinking it. It becomes a poison that pollutes the mind and emotions.
What my father once told me, God is now painfully revealing to me, the pain I have caused and inflicted upon those I love with some of the things I’ve said and thought.
Today, I am turning this over to God. I know He is showing me how to speak by using words that build up instead of tearing down.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29
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Michelle sees her marriage as a ministry and desires for it and herself to be used by God. She and her husband and son are active members of their church. She is also passionate about spreading the good news locally as well as internationally via mission trips to East Africa and wherever else the Lord leads.
Michelle is a talented writer and speaker who prays God will use her in sharing His hope and truths to those who are hurting and in need of love.
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