Dear Loyal Readers,
This morning this verse jumped off the page at me.
Psalm 109:17
As he loved cursing, it came to him: as he did not delight in blessing, it will be far from him.
For a moment I just sat there, staring at the black text on the bright white page. then I thought wow. I realized that EVERY SINGLE TIME we curse, and I’m not just talking about 4 letter words here. I am talking about saying things that are negative. Anything at all. Complaining about anything. ANYTHING. Like the car in front of us is driving too slow, or you speak about your kids or spouse in a negative way. THAT IS CURSING TOO.
I knew this would not be an easy blog post, and even as I type this I wonder should I really hit publish. Because after all, we are human, and we do speak our minds. But do we speak words of value and quality?
As I looked at this scripture I became very convicted. I decided to actually google the word curse, and here is what I found:
| curse http://img.tfd.com/m/sound.swf (kûrs)
n.
1.
a. An appeal or prayer for evil or misfortune to befall someone or something.
b. The evil or misfortune that comes in or as if in response to such an appeal: bewailed the curse of ill health.
2. One that is accursed.
3. A source or cause of evil; a scourge: ”Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race” (William Ewart Gladstone).
4. A profane word or phrase; a swearword.
5. Ecclesiastical A censure, ban, or anathema.
6. Slang Menstruation. Used with the.
v. cursed or curst (kûrst), curs·ing, curs·es
v.tr.
1. To invoke evil or misfortune upon; damn.
2. To swear at.
3. To bring evil upon; afflict: was cursed with crippling arthritis.
4. Ecclesiastical To put under a ban or an anathema; excommunicate.
|
Wow! I mean just Wow!
When we curse (complain about anything) we are actually bringing that curse to pass. Giving it strength to live and work. I mean read those definitions above, do you really want to bring bad things upon another? Or on yourself?
When comments are made like, “I’ll never get ahead on this job” or “My Boss is a jerk” or “I hate doing dishes”. Even the most simple words are phrases of negativity can cause that thing or phrase to have strength. Think about it, how many times do you complain or curse about the same thing over and over. Does it change? Does it get better? No, it stays the same, or it gets worse.
Let’s read the scripture again
Psalm 109:17
As he loved cursing, it came to him: as he did not delight in blessing, it will be far from him.
That is powerful – AS HE LOVED CURSING IT CAME TO HIM: AS HE DID NOT DELIGHT IN BLESSING, IT WILL BE FAR FROM HIM.
So that tells me, that every time I open my mouth I can curse or complain and have that thing come to my life or… I can keep my big mouth closed and pay more attention to the words that are coming out of my mouth, or the comments I make for all the social world to see. You know what I mean, we all have done it, but now we know the power, and the consequences if we continue to allow our words to rule over us.
It’s HARD WORK not to complain. We are natural born complainers. the problem is that we are fueling those complaints instead of focusing on all that is a blessing around us. Remember the second part of the scripture tells us that if we do not delight (to take great pleasure or joy in) in blessing (the act of a person who blesses, or special favor, mercy, or benefit) then BLESSINGS WILL BE FAR FROM US.
No…
No…
I don’t want BLESSINGS to be far from me, do you? I don’t want my children to not have a special favor or mercy or benefit from God or others. I don’t want my house to be a place where those who enter do not feel blessed either.
So now what do we do?
We get strong, real strong. We surround ourselves with people who bring love and peace into our lives. We spend more time with those who will be in our corner and encourage us to live better, to be better, and to say things better. We make time to read God’s scriptures. Even if you are not a christian you can benefit, or be blessed by the ancient writings of those inspired by the Holy Spirit. Just the book of Proverbs alone has many great nuggets of wisdom to help you live your everyday life, operate your business with integrity, and make wise financial decisions. Then once we read and begin to learn we apply what we have learned. LIVE IT!
That I think is the hardest part, LIVING IT….
For Scott and I, we are very open about our faith in God, people know that we love Jesus, and not because we shout it from the rooftops either. You all know that already. People know about our faith because we try very hard to live a life that would make Jesus smile, a life that would bring blessings to others, and when we mess up, we ask forgiveness. Then we pick ourselves up, and move on. That’s another reason why we started Safe Haven Church.
All of us want more. We want more quality in our life. If that is true for you then let me challenge you to start by using words of higher quality. Instead of complaining about others, choose to bless them with your words. Look at their good qualities. Everyone has some good in them. Somewhere…It’s our job to look for that good, and encourage them.
And if you are complaining or cursing about yourself, STOP IT NOW! You were created in the very image of God. You are beautiful inside and out. We can be our own worst critics or we can be our own greatest fans. That is lesson I am learning as I type.
Have a BLESSED weekend!
You are loved, you are important, and may God bless you everyday. Stay Happy….
Love,
Stephanie
momshappyplace
