Colossians 4:6
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
The tone of your voice is an indicator of how you are doing? It is an indicator of how you are loving yourself and others. How are you showing up? Are you showing up frustrated, overtired, or annoyed? Are you feeling like you have no choices, like a victim and feeling attacked? When you don’t take care of yourself emotionally and physically you lose your peace. Things get away from you and instead of taking ownership of your negative behavior, it takes ownership of you. If you don’t take note of it, you begin to spiral. Be the silent observer of your actions. Ask yourself, “what does this say about me today?” Notice what is coming out of your mouth and how it is coming out. Is it loving and kind or judgmental and rude? Does it bring love to others or harm?
The enemy wants to use you to bring harm to others. He wants you to believe that everything is personal and about you. He wants you to believe others have an intent to hurt you and that they spend their time thinking about you and calculating how to harm you. He wants you insecure about who you are. The more expectations you put on others the happier the enemy is. He knows no one can meet all your expectations. But he works hard at getting you to believe they should. He would like nothing more than to pull you toward negativity. He wants you to surround yourself with negative people and model your behavior after theirs. The enemy’s main goal is to push you to your limit, so you feel out of control.
God calls you to stay grounded. You stand on holy ground. You are always in God’s presence. Bring your best when you interact with others. Approach others with calmness and love. What comes back at you has nothing to do with you. It has to do with how that person is doing. Another person’s behavior has to do with what story they are believing about them self, about you, about others, and about their environment. Their actions say nothing about you but volumes about how they are feeling. You were just in the path of their rage, hurt, or frustration. Meet them where they are at, where you are at. Expect nothing. The enemy uses your pain and the pain of others to target your painful spots. See rudeness as what it is, emptiness. See hate as what it is, fear. See judgement as what it is, trying to feel better about a situation. See meanness as what it is, self-pain. See betrayal as what it is, brokenness.
God loves without conditions. He understands in your humanness you put conditions on yourself and others. He works with that. He calls you to push pass that. When the enemy calls you to limit your heart, and close it off, God asks you to expand it. Open it up. Give without fear. Guard your heart and guard your mind with God’s word. Love others where they are at but don’t model your behavior after theirs. See through their pain and struggle. See the possibilities. God loves through it all. He loves you. He loves them. He doesn’t make a choice based on behavior. He just loves.
You have a choice how to show up. The more time you spend with God the easier it will be to show up grounded, loving and calm. The easier it will be to be present and not swayed. You can show up, love others and not take on their negative behavior. Show up knowing God is present. He is everywhere. His Holy Spirit dwells within you. Where He is present it is holy. Recognize the holy ground you stand on because you stand with God. Recognize your holy hands that God works through.
Stand your ground! Stand your ground with peace in your heart. Stand your ground with a calm tone. Stand your ground with honesty and openness. Stand your ground with forgiveness. Stand with God. Don’t be pulled by the enemy. Don’t show up and inflict pain. Show up tender hearted. Show up knowing God is by your side.
Prayer
Father God,
Thank you for giving me the tools to guard my mind and heart. Thank you for showing me how to love and not be a victim. When the enemy pulls at me you remind me that you are present and I stand on holy ground. Forgive me for the times I neglect to remember where I stand and who stands with me. Forgive me for the times my tone is harsh and unloving. Help me to continue to grow in Your love and have an open heart. Help me to not calculate what I will get in return and trust that You and Your plans are enough. When frustration kicks in may I recognize it is a sign that it is time to seek rest, reset and take care of myself physically and emotionally.
In Jesus’ Name
Amen
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