I am happy to be back in the library typing away for another Five Minute Friday with a Saturday twist (no internet in the woods). If you want to just let your fingers fly with no edits and worries, check out the FMF posts and learn more here.
Today’s prompt is SPEAK and I am almost out of library time so let’s go!
I have learned how to hold my tongue. I learned it at a very early age and it was reinforced as I worked for many years off and on in the service industry. You learn quickly there that most customers are pretty awesome, but there will be a few out there that can spoil your day if you let them. You could probably spoil their’s too with a couple of well placed nouns and adjectives, but the truth is there is a lot of power in the holding of the tongue, and there is a lot of power in the way we speak.
“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13:1
I remember driving in the car one day on a lunch escape from the office. The idea of being no more than a noisy gong or clanging cymbal stuck with me. I asked God to remind me of this verse when I spoke. On occasion when I was close to not taming my tongue, I could hear “CLANG CLANG CLANG!” my mind and I would immediately stop and reassess where my words were coming from. Love? If not, I’d refocus.
A clanging symbol or gong surely garners attention, and it is an effective tool for an orchestra, but if it is all you hear it is soon something you want to shut out and away from. I don’t want people to shut me out when I speak. I don’t want to push people away. I want to love others. It is who I am. I have a servant’s heart so I am doubly so interested in showing love and compassion. Gongs are not compassionate.
Right now I am having a bit of a hard time because life has thrown my husband and I a bit of a curve ball in that our home that has been on the market for 66 days was unavailable to sell for about 53 of those days due to two buyers who walked away from the process. It is painful and right now I am trying hard to remember when I speak where my hope comes from. God is good even now. When people ask how I am, I don’t shoot rainbows out. I tell them the truth. I hurt, but God is good. I also got a little out in a previous post.
STOP
Well, abrupt but the library is closing in five! Yikes.
xoxo
“I hurt, but God is good.”
Beautiful writing!! So glad to be your neighbor at FMF this week (#77).
-Tammy
And, I totally relate to the customer service attitude! It’s more difficult as a school teacher to brush off the negative, but I will remember your words. They will really help me!!
Tammy I am so glad to be your neighbor! Thank you for visiting me!
The truth always sets us free!
It does. Of course I have to keep learning about keeping the truth in love at all times. Thank you so much for visiting today. You have blessed me.
First, Kelly, prayers for you guys in the real estate thing. Been there, done that.
And I have found that the most important words in my life were the ones I chose not to say.
#2 at FMF this week.
https://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2017/08/your-dying-spouse-351-this-will-all-be.html
Thank you Andrew. You always blow me away with your wisdom and candor. God bless you.
That is a really tough situation, Kelly, hoping and praying that you get some closure soon on the house thing and that a buyer materialises for you… Well done on showing up through it all, writing, sharing, being honest – that is where it counts the most, I think!
I think so too. I just want to make sure that I keep honest and let go of bitter. God is good and so faithful. We have another buyer! The only thing is they want to close on October 23 which gives them a long time to back out. It is scary! Thank you so much for visiting!