One Mouth, Many Words

Words float through the air with the greatest of ease but have a great impact. They can be used positively or negatively - - - to build up another’s self-esteem, or tear it down. That applies even to our self-talk.

Here’s an example of a lasting impact. While in high school, I made a call to a friend’s church. I don’t remember why I was desperate to contact her, but at the time it seemed extremely important.

When someone answered, I asked if I could get a message to my friend. When I gave my name, I was shocked to hear the person answer roughly that since my dad was a pastor I should know better than to call a church on Sunday. End of story.

Considering it now, they were right, but which of us always makes the right decision?

Interest in words is nothing new. The Apostle James wrote, “Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing . . . these things ought not to be so (James 3:30 *NKJV). So, let’s consider two varieties of words.

First: Wise words. You’ve probably heard that a word to the wise is sufficient. That’s good, but I think it’s better to remember that from a wise mind comes wise speech (Proverbs 16:23 **NLT). Don’t allow just anyone to speak into your life.

Wise words, like those of the godly, can bring healing, make knowledge appealing, and act like a life-giving fountain (Proverbs 12:18, 15:2, and 13:14 NLT). What a lovely illustration. A bubbling fountain is pleasant to hear, besides being refreshing if we choose to enjoy it further.

Second: Unwise words. These negative words come from the wicked, rather than the wise, and can conceal violent intentions, be perverse (deviating from what is considered right or good), and even act like a murderous ambush (Proverbs 10:6, 10:32, and 12:6 NLT).

Your words are two sides of the communication coin. It’s a flip of the coin whenever you speak; however, it’s not a matter of luck, it’s a matter of intent.

Yes, it’s one mouth, many words. Your words will impact others . . . so why not think before you speak?

*The New King James Bible (NKJV), Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.; Spirit-Filled Life Bible for Students, 1995 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

**Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Photo: Pixabay, Silhouettes, People, by geralt.

Opinions and Criticisms

We live in a strange world today. It seems filled with what could be considered malicious opinions and criticisms. There may be other terms for this phenomenon, but people seem determined to tear each other down rather than build up.

Social media makes it easy to hit and run. You are a faceless entity to a majority of readers, and you don’t even have to use your real name if you don’t want to.

Certain character traits produce negative communication. People full of bitterness, anger, a fighting spirit, or slanderous thoughts find it nearly impossible to say or write something positive. Ephesians 4:31 speaks clearly to these traits---get rid of them!

Ephesians 4:29 NIV gives three guidelines for positive communication:

Don't let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth (or in print)

Speak (or write) only what is helpful to build others up according to their needs

Your words should benefit those who listen (or read) 

These guidelines are easy to grasp. But people aren’t looking for Godly guidelines. Why bother when our society declares we can each decide our own truth?

Here’s a daily scenario: Someone reads something someone has written. They may have never written an article, but that doesn’t mean they can’t give their opinion. Opinions and criticisms float around like bubbles without substance.

It’s easy to be an armchair critic. Such opinions lack respect for the amount of work it takes to be a writer, the skill to be a baseball player, the education to be a lawyer, or the self-discipline to run a business.

It’s a wanton disregard and lack of appreciation for the rights or accomplishments of others.

It’s happening so much now that people are getting tired of it. Many are realizing it’s useless to fight back. The best thing is to let it go. Why? Because people bent on tearing others down will not accept correction.

After all, it’s only your truth, not theirs.

 

Up With Encouragers

That’s a play on words, of course. Encouragers lift us up, and we need many more such people in our world.

Have you ever heard of a man named Barnabas? No, not from a TV sitcom, from a story about the first Christians. It seems a man moved from the island of Cyprus to Jerusalem and became active in the early Christian church.

The Apostles called him Barnabas, which means Son of Encouragement (Acts 4:36 NKJV). This was no fly-by-night act to win favor. You can read about his further encouragement of believers in Acts 11:19-26.

I’m always intrigued by words. I’m thinking “encourage” would imply “in-courage.” I’ll have to look it up sometime. I know the Bible tells us to encourage one another and build one another up. In our time; however, we are more familiar with “enforcers,” and the contrast is not hard to see.

Everyone thinks his opinion is the most important, and instead of encouraging one another, our world has become ridden with “cancel culture.” It’s really a cancer in our culture because it’s killing people’s communication and relationships big time!

To encourage someone is to give positive support or raise their spirits. Encouraged people have a new sense of hope, and become enlivened to pursue something they felt insecure about earlier.

Encouragement can come packaged big or small. Have you ever noticed the uplifting power of a smile? Rich or poor, sometimes the little things make our day.

When I can, I like to encourage with words and a smile. After lunch at a popular place, I went to use the restroom. A mom came in with her little girl, age 4 or 5. The little girl went into the stall, and when she came out, she was going to walk out when Mom said, “You need to wash your hands.”

On my way out, I smiled and said, “You’re doing a good job, Mom.” She gave me a big smile back.

This is a hurting world. Practice your own kinds of encouragement, but remember . . . it’s not your thoughts that count, but your words and your actions!

  

Legacy

People can become quite concerned about leaving a legacy. I remember years ago, a wealthy businessman wondered if he should give his children a good sum while he still lived, or should he simply leave it in his will.

When asked if he thought about his legacy, Dr. Charles Stanley replied, “I think our life is a legacy, not a building.” When asked what he wanted people to say about him when he was gone, his thoughtful reply was this: “He always said, ‘Trust God and leave the consequences to Him,’ and from what we have observed, that’s what he did.”

I’m grateful for the legacy left by my parents. They did a great job of raising three children on a minister’s salary. Leaving a financial legacy was never an option, but they left something much greater. You can’t put a price on honest living, whether before God or before people. They’re gone, but their example lives on.

People without children may think there’s no point in worrying about a legacy, but in my mind, Mother Teresa negates that theory. Her life legacy resulted in many more taking up her mission to help the poorest of the poor.

You can find a large number of her quotes on the internet. We all know she blessed people worldwide, so this quote stands out: “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.”

Each legacy is very personal. Perhaps I’ll leave some writing which will encourage others after I’m gone. And I do hope my appreciation of God’s Word as a guideline for life continues to strike a chord of faith in those who have known me.

Your legacy is important, too. Rich or poor, you’ll be leaving a life example, whether you do it purposefully, or not. So, why wait? Take a little time to think about how that is shaping up now.

My Favorite Word

Where would we be without words? We might get tired of playing charades to communicate, for one thing. And those of us who enjoy word games like Scrabble or puzzles like Word Search would miss out on lots of fun.

You don’t have to be an expert communicator to know that words have power. They can sting or soothe, wound or heal, and even discourage or encourage. It’s a negative vs. positive choice.

Life gets better with positive self-talk. We don’t always have people around when faced with discouragement or options which all feel negative. When on our own, we need to encourage ourselves.

That’s why I love the word HOPE! There's an old saying: Where there’s life, there’s hope. A more truthful version might be this: Where there’s life, there’s the option of hope. Hope is not an automated response; it’s a purposeful choice.  

People of hope look to the future. They maintain their purpose and goals in the face of hardship. They focus forward with optimism, inspiration, and a never-give-up attitude.

Without hope, people become pessimistic, cynical, desperate, or despondent. They may seem unpleasant because they often refute attempts to cheer them up and prefer to ignore reasons to hope.

Here’s my favorite scripture about my favorite word: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Romans 15:13 ESV).

How do we get the benefits of such hope? By prayer, which is simply talking to God. 

Philippians 4:6-7 in The Message puts it this way: Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns . . .

It concludes with this thought: . . .  it’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. My hope starts there.

  

A Different Kind of Fruit

In the midwest where I grew up, fruits seemed scarce. When I moved to California, my fruit options expanded. Kiwi was new to me, but I couldn’t resist trying them when a commercial grower brought a big box to share at church.

One summer, on an extended family vacation, we picked long-stem cherries in Idaho. I grew to love those dark beauties; I still do.

Are you familiar with Spiritual Fruit? Nine desirable character traits are produced in us by the Holy Spirit. Listed in Galatians 5:22, they are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

But in studying the words of Jesus today, I ran across a completely different type of fruit. Yes, we can tell a tree by its fruit, but the fruit he mentioned here set forth a new challenge.

Do you ever stop to think that what comes out of our mouths comes from our hearts? Based on this premise, Jesus explained that a good man brings good things out of the treasure of his heart, and an evil man brings forth evil (Matthew 12:33-37 NKJV).

But his real clincher is this: “By your words you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned.” I have often thought about my words being positive or negative, but today I looked at them in a new light.

Paul's teaching is the same. Hebrews 13:15 (NIV) says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise---the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.”

He further emphasizes the importance of words in Ephesians 4:29 (NIV): Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  

In The Message, Eugene Peterson refers to Jesus’ teaching by saying, “It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. Words are powerful; take them seriously.”

 

  

LET'S GET ACTIVE

While flipping pages in a small notebook I found tucked in a drawer, a 3 x 5 card fell into my lap. It was a fun find and a reminder of how I always look for action words.

It wasn’t dated, so I have no idea when I wrote out Psalm 100 with the action words in capital letters. It’s a very small chapter in the Bible, only 5 verses, but it’s packed with directives on how to worship God and why.

The card looked like this:

PSALM 100                 SHOUT for joy to the LORD all the earth.                 SERVE the LORD with gladness.                 COME before Him with joyful songs.                 KNOW that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His;                        we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.                 ENTER His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise                 GIVE thanks to Him and                 PRAISE His name             For the LORD is good, and             His love endures forever;             His faithfulness continues through all generations The card was not dated. Neither did it indicate which translation I was reading. The mystery was partially solved when I found my favorite study Bible, a Thompson Chain-Reference Bible in an older edition of the New International Version (NIV).

Even now I enjoy looking at those underlined verbs, or action words: Shout, Serve, Come, Know, Enter, Give, and Praise.

To me, they indicate a God who is open to a relationship with us. Entering His gates is a good beginning, then we go further into His courts.

Serving God brings joy into our lives, and expressing our thankfulness for His goodness brings joy to Him, too.

Knowing we are the sheep of His pasture always reminds me of Psalm 23, which I memorized as a child and often review.

Finally, if I can’t think of anything to praise God for, the last verse gives me a good jump start.

There you have it. Look it over again. What can Psalm 100 do for you?                  

 

 

Truth in Its Highest Form

I had a great mother-in-law. Pink was her favorite color. I enjoyed her friendship because she was a great listener and her advice was always sound.

We would have great conversations while out riding around or going shopping. She didn’t do it often, but whenever she said, “Now, listen,” I knew she had something important to share.

Jesus had a way of telling his disciples to listen up, too. I’m doing this study in my New International Version (NIV) study Bible, so Jesus gives a heads up by saying, “I tell you the truth . . . ”

If you happen to use a New Living Translation (NLT), the phrase will be, “But I say . . . ” Just remember, your study will be much easier if you have a red-letter Bible (Jesus’ words in red).

It seems to me when Jesus said, “I tell you the truth,” He taught the principles of God’s Kingdom. It had nothing to do with things they might have previously heard or been taught by men.

I’ll share a few examples from the two Gospels I've studied so far:  Matthew 6:16; Matthew 10:42 and Mark 3:28; Mark 12:43. 

In three years, Jesus shared a lot of information about God’s Eternal Kingdom. “I tell you the truth,” indicated that He was stressing the authority and certainty of His *message.

He understood that people choose what they will believe since we each have free will.

You don’t have to do a deep study . . . here’s the real challenge!

Read the Bible carefully daily. Why? For six specific reasons:

Every part of scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another - - -

showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes,

training us to live God’s way (2 Timothy 3:16, The Message Bible).

 

*Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, “Truth as Truth Telling” and “Other Uses of Truth,” p, 1631, Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN, 2003.

 

Conflict: You Can Count On It

I look forward to dinner with my Goddaughter on Friday nights. People who work routine hours Monday through Friday seem to take special pleasure at the end of their week. Listen closely. You might overhear, “Thank God, it’s Friday.”

Before retirement, even on jobs I enjoyed, I looked forward to Friday!

We have a little routine. First comes dinner with light conversation. More serious discussions come after we eat. She usually says she’s ready for a movie when I make my nightly cup of tea.

Whether it’s on DVD or DVR it’s fun to make comments while the movie plays out. We know there will always be a crisis or conflict of some kind.  

Conflict is part of life, real or otherwise. Writers know a story without conflict is boring. Movie producers know there’s no punch in a happy ending if there’s no conflict to overcome.

Even peaceful persons cannot avoid conflict. Do any of these words ring a bell? Struggle, strife, disagreement, differences, or misunderstanding? OK, so you have experienced conflict!

Conflict is tricky. Sometimes conflict is with another person or group of persons, but sometimes your conflict is with yourself.

Conflict can be overcome, but you must look it in the eye and not flinch. It requires honesty. It may also require humility, and/or some clarification of communication, especially if it’s in texts or emails. Sometimes it’s a matter of releasing expectations and allowing a fresh start.

Conflict resolved brings peace; God is on the side of peace. In fact, in the “Be-Attitudes,” Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5:9*). The Amplified Bible explains blessed as being happy and spiritually prosperous.

Psalm 120:7* says, “I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.” Romans 12:18* says, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”  

I hear the call, do you?  “Peace . . . Party of One!”

*All Scriptures are from the New King James Version, Thomas Nelson, Publishers, Nashville, TN, 1982.

 

How to Say Merry Christmas

The Christmas Season is here once again. I have always enjoyed sending and receiving Christmas greetings, but they seem extra special this year.

Not only is it fun to open my mailbox and find cards inside, but it’s also fun to sit down and read them. It causes me to indulge in some fond memories of the senders.

I was curious about Christmas cards. I googled for information and chose www.whychristmas.com 

In 1843, a British postal worker, Sir Henry Cole, and an artist friend, John Horsley, designed a Christmas card with three panels. The outer two panels showed people caring for the poor, and the center panel showed a family having a large Christmas dinner. The cost back then? 8 cents! This was a limited edition, perhaps 1,000 or less.

Their card even came with an advertising slogan: “Just published, a Christmas Congratulations Card, or picture emblematical of old English festivity to perpetuate kind recollections between dear friends.”   

We are way beyond postage of 8 cents these days! Maybe that’s one reason Christmas cards seem more and more special.

I like the variety of ways God sent out His Christmas message. First, His Son's promised birth was written in the Old Testament. Then, in the New Testament, the prophecies about Jesus were fulfilled.

Angels were also used to get God’s Christmas message down to earth. A single angel, Gabriel, was sent to Mary and Joseph, and the shepherds heard a heavenly host. Once they checked out the angelic message for themselves, they in turn became messengers of Christmas.

God’s message also appeared in the heavens. Wise men, who studied the sky for signs and wonders, committed themselves to faithfully follow its direction.

We also have a variety of ways to send our Christmas message. Cards, text messages, emails, and phone calls are all meaningful connections. Even if you haven’t sent any greetings for years, reach out to someone now. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

  

How Can I Pray?

First of all, let’s define prayer. Here’s the bottom line: Prayer is communication with God. It’s not that God doesn’t know what we need, but with prayer we invite Him into our lives.

Prayers can be formal or informal, written or spontaneous. Since God created languages, He's open to prayers from people in all countries. I grew up with the King James Bible, but was taught to pray in my everyday English language.

Here are a few simple guidelines:

1.       Approach God with humility, avoid praying to be seen by people.

Jesus taught this with a parable about two characters: A Pharisee and a tax collector.  One prayed to be seen, proudly listing all his religious accomplishments. The other tried to be unnoticed as he bowed his head and prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” (Luke 18:9-14)

2.       Prayer does not require wordy repetition.

Jesus said pagans thought their gods would hear them if they used many repetitive words. But He said our Father knows what we need, so prayers can be simple and direct. (Matthew 6:7-8).

3.       The Lord’s Prayer is a great model.

If you’re not sure what to pray, review Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV). I enjoy praying this in group settings, but sometimes I pray it on my own, using one sentence at a time to jump start my own prayers.

4.       Pray for the needs of others, as well as yourself.

Be alert to people and their needs. In writing to the Thessalonians, Paul made his request very simple: “Brothers and sisters, pray for us.” (I Thessalonians 5:25 NLT)

5.       Simple sentence prayers are heard, too.

Remember when Peter was walking on the water toward Jesus? He lost his focus, started to sink and cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached for him (Matthew 14:28-31). Remember one of the thieves crucified next to Jesus? He said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” Jesus said, “Today you’ll be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43)   

If you’ve considered prayer a take-it-or-leave-it proposition, think again. You can talk to God about anything, anytime, anywhere. What could be better than that?  

  

Equality and Submission

                  

Here’s a dichotomy for you. Like a boat on dry land the title words oppose each other, so let’s take a closer look.

I was listening to a Bible teacher* the other day whose key points brought up a personal memory.

There has been a lot of misinformation about women and submission, but here are some truths:

1)      Men and women are created equal before God

2)      All women are not required to submit to all men

3)      Women can be leaders, CEOs, or military commanders

4)      Submission applies only to a wife and her own husband

Marriage is not for everyone. If the idea of submission sets your teeth on edge, you may want to say, “No.” For sure you should not marry someone you don’t respect or trust, or who doesn’t care about what you think or feel.

In the days when this scripture was written women, children, and slaves in Roman, Greek, and Jewish cultures had great responsibilities. Men, on the other hand, had a great deal of freedom.

The true translation of submission means “to place under rank,” and Paul spoke not only to women. He also addressed men, children, and slaves (Colossians 3:18-4:1). Think about it. Everyone in the world is in submission to someone. That’s the orderliness of society.

My husband and I enjoyed equality in marriage for many years. I was comfortable submitting because he cared what I thought. After freely sharing my opinion or insight, I expected him to make our family decision. 

Strange as it seems, in the 1980’s women started teaching submission to the extreme. In taking some of their advice, I stopped freely sharing my thoughts and feelings. The result was that gradually my husband stopped asking for my opinion.

Things came to a head while exploring options for housing on a new job. Riding around, I became extremely depressed. God had given me a clear vision (warning) a few weeks earlier and I said to myself I’m not going to share this. He won’t listen anyway.

I can still see the street where I finally burst into tears. Shocked, my husband pulled into a parking lot and asked, “What’s wrong?” I told him about the vision and why I had not shared it with him earlier.

Besides his apology, he asked me to promise I would always share what I thought or felt. The fresh start was good, but it wasn’t magic. We had to rebuild our trusting relationship.

Equality and submission are positive truths. Please avoid getting bogged down with false teaching.

*Dr. Robert Jeffress, Pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, TX, Pathway to Victory.

 

Can You Be Honest?

 

Have you ever had someone say, "Can I be honest with you?" No matter how you felt about it, I'll bet you said, "Yes."

I prefer that people be honest with me. I have a hard time with those who talk indirectly about an issue, expecting me to guess what they mean. My response may seem totally irrelevant. 

When I was fighting cancer, I became deeply aware of the Psalms. Before then I had read them, but never really studied them. In fact, I started with a simple Bible study booklet called *Praying the Psalms.

Today I focused on Psalm 139. There David praises God for His ability to be everywhere at once plus His ability to know all things. These characteristics are listed in the dictionary under omnipresent and omniscient.

In the first six verses, David says God knows everything about him. Then in verse seven, he asks, “Where can I flee from Your Presence?” He shares illustrations of a God that is everywhere; there’s no place to hide.

In verses thirteen through sixteen, David declares the beauty of creation in utero. I found it easy to agree when he said, “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Our life systems are awesome---Skeletal, Muscular, Respiratory, Digestive, and Reproductive, to name a few.

The last four verses are interesting contrasts. First, David declares his love for God, including hatred for those who malign God and speak evil of him.

Then he follows up with a prayer: Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV).

Can you be that honest? Can I? If you read David’s life story, he wasn’t perfect. Neither are we, but with God, and people, honesty is the best policy.

 *Bible study booklets by InterVarsity Press are available in the Life Guide Bible Studies Series from ChristianBooks.com or Amazon.

 

Time Out for Truth

Most people are familiar with the “T” hand signal for “time out.”  It’s an important strategy in a coach’s playbook.

Like the “T” signal, you may also be acquainted with Pontius Pilate’s famous quote. He had asked a question and Jesus was answering. 

Just as Jesus was saying people on the side of truth listen to Him, Pilate cut Him off saying, “What is truth?” (John 18:33-38, NIV)

It’s not hard to see that truth in our day is fluid and irrelevant. Take fake news, for example, we don’t know who or what to believe. Yet some areas of truth seem so stable and unchangeable that we take them for granted.

In the marketplace, we expect a truthful 16 ounces in a pound, 4 full cups in a quart, and 12 eggs in a dozen. Then we expect the aisle price to print out truthfully at the register.

Since childhood I have known the truth of 2+2 = 4, a square always has 4 equal sides, and 4 sets of 4 anything will make a total of 16.

Why do we seem to reject truth on a more personal level? Do we really think it’s OK for someone to lie to us, or for us to lie to others? Is it really OK to cheat or fool people with half-truths?

Watch a carpenter use his level and he’ll make sure the “bubble of truth” falls right in the middle of the tiny glass window.

Where would we be if God had not included the stability of truth in His Creation? It’s that truth, or stability, that allows doctors and scientists to discover marvelous treatments for overcoming illness and disease.

He also gave commandments and guidelines to build stability and truth into relationships. We can choose to believe or not, but our unbelief does not change the “bubble of truth” on God’s level.    

When a coach calls “time out” he gives truthful advice to fit the occasion. Team members wisely follow it. Is truth any less important to our everyday lives?

Jesus’ truth is easily found in red-letter editions of the Bible. Short pithy truths are found in Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. Why not call a daily “time out” and discover God’s baseline truths for yourself?

 

Chief Critic

 

A friend and I were talking this week about being critical. I’ll share the story with you that I shared with her.

While growing up, my crippled grandmother lived with us. She walked with a cane and one shoe was built up about four inches to accommodate several hip fractures. Her bones were brittle and her broken arms in younger years had not healed correctly.

She also had dementia. I remember being accused of things I didn’t do, but I also remember her high-pitched shaky voice breaking out in a hymn now and then.

I had to share a room with her till I was thirteen. That’s when mom finally told her sister out west it was her turn to take Grandma in.

When Grandma was gone, I didn’t miss her a bit. I was simply glad she was out of my life. Even when she died a few years later, I didn’t shed a tear; however, a few months ago a strange thing happened.

I was relaxing in my living room when I felt God say, “You misjudged your grandmother.” Along with this impression came tears. I could not believe that after decades had passed, God would even care about this!

I shared it with one of my brothers a few weeks ago and tears came again, so I knew I wasn’t making this up. I did take God’s warning to heart, however, and asked Him to forgive me and help me not to jump to conclusions about people.

It’s so easy to be a critic. I’m thinking of the old adage don’t judge a man till you’ve walked a mile in his moccasins. After expressing a critical opinion have you ever had someone remark with a sneer, “Who died and made YOU Chief?”

I think in today’s world of E-communication, there is an overabundance of self-appointed chiefs---critics who indulge in prickly fault-finding and censure according to their own set of values. It’s never a level playing field, and let’s remember self-indulgence indicates a lack of self-control.

Words matter, whether spoken or written. By indulging a whim for criticism, we are destroying happiness, our own and that of others. Proverbs 15:23 in The Message Bible says it this way:  Congenial conversation---what a pleasure! The right word at the right time---beautiful!  

The next time you appoint yourself Chief Critic, stop and ask yourself: WHY do I want to be so critical? Give yourself an honest answer. You CAN change, you know.