Girl Talk

^"Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." --Psalm 34:12-14

Girls are notorious for chit chat, rumors, and gossip. Lately, I have been focused on what I say, what I don't say, what I should say, and what I should not say. I am a very blunt person. I believe that truth should always be spoken; however, I have found the way that I speak truth significantly affects the response I receive from the person I'm talking to. 

"Don't speak unless you can improve on the silence." --Spanish Proverb

I am also a big fan of silence. Sometimes, I like it too much. I am an outgoing person, and I love being around people. I need my space though. I often neglect friendships or conversations simply because I know of the investment involved. An hour long conversation is tiring, because I invest my whole self in it. We must find a balance between talking and silence. 

"Speak in such a way that others love to listen to you. Listen in such a way that others love to speak to you." --Anonymous

People, in their sinful flesh, desire to respond rather than to understand. We want to answer. We want to fix. We want to control. We want to defend, argue, or tell off. 

Listen deeply. Simone Weil said, "Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity." How true is that!?! One of the things I dread most is having a conversation with someone who simply wants to talk. We need connection. One of my mentors sent me an encouraging and very convicting quote a couple weeks ago. It read, "Chit chat leads to death. Only the Truth redeems conversations." I am thankful for the women in my life that speak Truth. I am also thankful that when conversations start to veer off their path, one of us catches the conversation and turns it around. We help each other.

I started to think, how many of my conversations are uplifting? Am I encouraging others through what I say? Am I simply talking to talk? Am I building others up? Am I gossiping? Am I putting others down? Am I offering scripture rather than my opinion? I don't mean that every conversation we have has to include a scripture reference, but I do believe that our conversations should honor God. I don't think he finds joy in listening to His children put each other down or talk about things that are meaningless. I pray that we speak truth to each other daily, that we take time to really listen. 

Listen deeply. Get away from the chit chat, the girl talk, the conversations that cause death. 

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

¹ Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent?
    Who may live on your holy mountain?

² The one whose walk is blameless,
    who does what is righteous,
    who speaks the truth from their heart;
³ whose tongue utters no slander,
    who does no wrong to a neighbor,
    and casts no slur on others;
⁴ who despises a vile person
    but honors those who fear the Lord;
who keeps an oath even when it hurts,
    and does not change their mind;
⁵ who lends money to the poor without interest;
    who does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

Whoever does these things
    will never be shaken.