Have you ever been caught off your guard during a situation, in which you’re left speechless? Then in your mind you spend hours, maybe days drafting your best comeback. Me too and I’m not caught off my guard very often. So, don’t feel too bad. Perhaps your prayer request to be blessed with a deeper portion of the gifts of the spirit (Love, Joy, Peace, Goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Patience and Self-control) is coming to fruition. Sometimes our best thought out-rapid response does not reflect any of those gifts and may even be found offensive by the beneficiary of those thoughts. James 1:19 comes to mind, “be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” NIV
When it comes to communication, remember that our Creator blessed us with two ears and one mouth. Unfortunately, when we should be listening, we are drafting our witty response. Listening doesn’t always require a quick response. The theme of James chapter three is “taming the tongue.” “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” James 3:6 NIV
When it comes to a work-out design, I’m typically more concerned about the big muscles: Chest, Back, Shoulders and Legs. As we age, we need to also look at the accessory muscles which stabilize our physique. If those stabilizers are not doing their job, our movement patterns will be off track. That will result in our exercises actually harming us by promoting injuries. You have to look for faulty movement patterns while performing your exercises. Your motion pattern should be symmetrical and balanced. Check it before your wreck it! If not, your workouts may contribute to future physical injuries. Capture or recognize the faulty motion then correct it.
Faulty speech coming out of us is a faulty pattern as well. In a similar fashion, we must capture and correct it too. As we become Christians and go through this life-long process of sanctification, does our speech lack of love and encouragement. Perhaps there is still an old “vulgar” element in your speech. Remember that the world is watching and listening to us. We are to be a representative for Christ. I believe the non-believer is expecting Christians to fail in this area. But when we don’t fail, we stand out in a good or should I say in a “God” way. Don’t invalidate what your God influence can be, by how you speak. Remember what comes out of us (our words) are a reflection of who resides in us. Working on the big muscles is easy compared to taming the small muscle (tongue), but definitely requires our attention. Be blessed!