Hearing Through the Silence

A few weeks ago, I lost my voice.
I have a naturally quiet voice, so every time my sinuses start acting up, I always lose my voice.

In an effort to get my voice back before VBS started that Monday (this was Saturday), I went on vocal rest for a couple of days.
After a little while of not talking, I began to realize that I was having a very hard time keeping my mouth shut.

Particularly, whenever I wanted to correct somebody.

I realized that whenever somebody in my family had a false piece of information, or whenever I just wanted to state my opinion, it was very hard for me to remain silent.
I began to think that maybe I wasn't always using my voice for very good reasons.

My eyes were opened to my own pride.

It took losing the ability to speak before I realized that maybe I shouldn't do it for the same reasons anymore.
The old saying, "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." Is actually very Biblical. 

Proverbs 21:23 says, "Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity."

As hard as it can be, I'm learning that I don't always have to voice my opinion.

I don't always have to speak up when somebody is wrong, and I know I'm right.

It's really quite difficult, because we're all human and we all have a bit of pride that can get in the way more often than not.

But keeping silent, when what you want to say could get you into some "calamity" with the person you're responding to, is so worth it.

I want you to stop and think about some of the things you say when you use your voice.

I think it's safe to say that we all have some things that we regret ever saying.

What do those look like for you?

Are you disrespectful to your parents/teachers/bosses/leaders?

Do you gossip about someone when they're not around?

Are you rude to people you don't know? People you do know? Your family?

Do you always feel the need to speak up when somebody's "wrong"? 

You can use your voice for so many wonderful things in this life.

Words can make somebody's day, or they can change somebody's life.

But you know, the opposite is true too.

You can use your voice for so many worthless things in this life.

Words can ruin somebody's day, or they can ruin somebody's life.

We have a choice what we're going to use our voice for.

And no, we won't always get it right. We're all still going to have times where we regret opening our mouth, no matter how hard we try.

But the important thing is that we regret those times.

Challenge yourself to try your absolute hardest to only speak when what you're saying is uplifting, pleasant, or necessary.

I can assure you, it won't only make the people around you enjoy your company more, but it will make your life happier as well.

Words are powerful, and words matter.

Let's choose to use them well.