Filter

Good early morning!

Call me neurotic, but I HATE being behind! I had a girlfriend say, "Better late than never." And part of me thought, "YEAH BUT even better if ON TIME!!" (Did you like the yabbit?? See, I can't even let myself of the hook!! Haaa!)

I'm prepping my heart for Titus 2 this morning, which I must say is a total blessing in my life. Not because it's a perfect Bible study, or the only Bible study, but because I can take what I hear and apply it immediately to my heart, my mind, my marriage, and my life. There are seasons in your life when you need this. You know those seasons where you're a hour-to-hour survival "case." That would be me!

I also love early mornings...a time to jump start the day...all to set the tone for my heart and mind.

Proverbs 29:11 "A fool gives full vent to anger, but a wise person quietly holds it back."

Fool vs. the Wise

My favorite verses in Proverbs are the ones that clearly state fool vs. wise. Depending on the day, my mood, time of the month, how much my kids have beat me down (in the figurative sense, of course!), the amount of cash sits in my wallet, if my hair worked right, if Cliff noticed the hair working right, well, then, I can easily fall on either side of this proverb. Don't you think??

If only we were ALL fool or ALL wise! Don't you think it would be easier?

But it's not cut and dry like that. The truth is the majority of the time we're foolish, while achieving those moments of great wisdom. As we continue our walk with Him, placing Him at the helm of our ship, we gain small wise victories, which is only achieved by actually APPLYING His Word to our hearts and minds...and then exhibiting immense self-control.

Here's the difference:

Fool (Hebrew: keclyl): stupid fellow (I'll insert "girl"), dullard, simpleton, arrogant one.

Wise (Hebrew: chakam): skillful, learned, shrewd, prudent

So which side of the fence do you fall on most of the time?

Let's take a quick personal inventory. Just for a minut. Don't try to justify or excuse your behavior or thinking. Block out your hubby, kiddos, past, emotions...and just concentrate on you for a moment.

Pretend you are a stranger to your home standing in your living room watching yourself "playing" the role of the wife. You have no knowledge of the emotions and circumstances that fuel the wife's actions or words. You have no knowledge of the past events that may cause this craziness. You only see the wife's actions and hear her words.

What is your opinion of her? (Be honest with yourself, because it is in honesty that change can begin. It goes back to yesterday's devotional: step one is admission.)

What does her behavior say about her heart/character? (What assumptions would you make about her character based on her actions/words?)

What would you advise her if you could interact with her? (We all know it is MUCH easier to give advice to our friends...so why don't you see yourself as a friend?)

Oh, I know. I'm hurting too! Some days are great...some weeks are great...and then something goes snap, and I fall at great speed on the other side of the fence. With one leap I land on the foolish side...and again, it doesn't take much to get there.

Vent vs. Filter

In verse 11, I totally understand what the fool is doing: "A fool gives full vent to anger...(NLT)" or "A fool uttereth all his mind; (KJV)"

Bottom line: this fool lacks a filter between the her brain and her mouth.

The Hebrew root to "mind" is ruwach and literally means "breath of mouth; spirit; temper; anger; impatience; unaccountable or uncontrollable impulse."

Nothing is left unsaid. You think it, you say it. Maybe not at the moment, but it does come out regardless of the consequences. The only positive is the immediate relief that comes from unleashing those thoughts on someone else, which them pushes the responsibility of HOW they react to your words on them. It's then not our words that causes issues, it's THEIR reactions. And so the blame shifting begins.

True confession is that we all lose it. We all "vent" at some point. But the fool gives FULL vent and utters ALL his mind. Nothing is off limit. If he breathes, then he says. Imagine living with a person like that. Imagine raising a child like that (and no, this is not known as the teenage years!!). Imagine going through life like that. What destruction would occur? What relationships would we damage?

I venture to guess we'd be lonely, bitter old ladies after alienating every person in our life by our words and BEING alienated by other people's words, for you know eventually they'll start telling you what they think. It takes "Mean Girls" to a whole other level.

Proverbs 10:14 "Wise people store up knowledge, But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction."

Ecclesiastes 10:12 "The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up."

Swallow whole. Destruction. Ladies, it's not much clearer than this!

So for today, put this Proverb at the forefront of your mind. When your brain starts spinning arguments, criticisms, frustrations, take a deep breath, analyze the scenarios as the stranger standing in your living room, decide which side of the fence you will stand on, edit your thoughts (which will automatically edit your words), and quick write 5 blessings that happened to you TODAY! This will drastically change your focus from the chaos that you're ready to give in to, and turn it to His love and provision for you on an hourly basis!!

For a wise woman "quietly holds it back."

Lots of love! Here's to an amazing day filled with His glories!

R