Words

(She) who guards (her)mouth and tongue keeps (herself) from calamity. (Proverbs 21:23)

Sometimes we just don't realize the power of our words. We say something with one meaning but the listener hears through a different set of filters and receives something we never meant. That happened to me last night.

In the midst of a conversation, someone completely misconstrued my words and got very upset. I, in turn, was taken aback by her reaction. The old me would have gone immediately on the defensive. But the newer me is trying to humble myself in Christ so I went right to an apology that I hurt her feelings and an explanation with what I meant.

She heard me but decided to stay with her swirling emotions, at which point honestly, I was thinking "get over it." But then she shared with me how she feels discounted by everyone and how it has affected her important relationships. My annoyance immediately turned to compassion.

We just never know sometimes what people are feeling or what they have been through already that day. They might be hurting and our words become misconstrued. Yes, it's technically their problem, but it becomes my burden if I am to live as Christ and love on them unconditionally.

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. (Proverbs 25:11)