"If you can't say somethin' nice..."

To quote Thumper; "If you can't say somethin' nice, don't say nothin' at all". Kind of right on there Thumper! In Proverbs, God says "Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him." and "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue". My father was a wise man. His version of the proverb was "Even a fool looks wise until he opens his mouth and proves he is not". I've always wondered if he knew he was nearly quoting scripture. He didn't spend much time in the Word to my knowledge, but he did live by this advice. He was a man of few words, but the ones he used were well thought out before they were spoken. Any way...

This has always been a very hard lesson for me. And I am making progress! I now pause a few moments before putting my foot in my mouth! I'm finding this challenging on the internet. One can now put their fingers in action, typing out a snappy reply, and with the push of one key...POOF! It is gone into cyberspace...ready to start it's work...dividing, upsetting, and hurting others.

Oh Lord...don't let me used as a weapon of the enemy to hurt or offend others! Forgive me where I have, as I forgive those who have hurt me. Amen

You know that scene in Pirates of the Caribbean 3, when they are about to set Kalypso free, and she gets really big, and she is really mad, and kind of explodes into a massive hurricane? I got that mad today. It was not pretty. I did not spew my angry words where I wanted to, but was able to vent them to a few very safe family members, who understood, and allowed me to let the pressure off. And then I controlled my little typing fingers, and did not engage in what could have been some slinging of unkindness. Maybe the Lord is making some progress with me after all!!