Colossians 4:6
"Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out."
Have you ever been around someone that no matter what you say, they always have something to gripe or complain about. Or they always have insults for someone else, or they're just ultra negative about everything. You see a gloss over their eyes with no happiness. You see no joy in them. But on the other hand you have it deep in your soul to find joy in everything, no matter what your circumstances are.
This is a very difficult situation to navigate. It is very hard not to join in the complaining and negativity but as the scripture says, that I keep coming back to,
your speech should be gracious and thoughtful, making your words pleasant and engaging, much like how salt enhances the flavor of food. It emphasizes the importance of being kind and joyful and wise in conversations with others.
Finding joy in the most difficult of circumstances is a true gift of God.
Lately I find myself around individuals, that no matter what, they tend to be in the middle of their misery. I find people like this really sad. My heart instantly wants to help them out of that pit, even if I may be in a pit of my own, I still want to laugh and spread Joy.
The Bible tells us that the devil wants to steal, kill and destroy. This holds true even with joy. He wants to steal your joy, kill your joy and destroy your joy.
I am person that, as I'm typing this I'm tearing up, can find joy in the littlest things. A beautiful tree. A funny song. A delightful breeze. Ducks on a pond. A yummy cup of coffee. My dad was like this. He was always joking around and making others around him laugh, just because he was so joyful. He made the best of every situation and he knew how to season his words with salt. I'm so glad that he instilled this in me.
What I have come to realize is that you cannot force another person to have joy, happiness, laughter, and take the time, (sometimes only 5 minutes), to pause and see something that might insert these things into their day. They just keep going on, filling their head with negativity and complaining and anger. And when you try to say something about it, like, 'what's wrong?' Or, 'are you okay?', they easily get offended.
Not for me. I choose the Joy Road! I want to be gracious in my speech. I want somebody to remember me for something kind, encouraging or joyful that I said to them. I want someone to remember me laughing with them.
When you spend time with someone who is constantly cutting you down, that's what you remember about them. You can't take words back. You can't take angry attitudes back. But when you spend time with someone who brings out the best in you in a conversation you're having with them, you remember that too.
This is where I'm at in life right now. And it's hard. But taking my joy and depositing it into my son, my best friend, my puppy and patience with her, my neighbors, or just a stranger in passing by. How fun it is to spread love and joy, just because. I feel FILLED just writing this!
Season all of your conversations deliberately with salt!
#Colossians4 #joy #seasonedwithsalt #deliberatelygraced #fyp
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