Gut Check

Have you ever said something that you regretted?  Either as you were saying it, or when you saw the look on the other persons face?  I have! Why is it that our brains work faster than we want them to in situations where we should be thinking before speaking?  Do we say these things to be mean or to win an argument?  Or is it because that is how we really feel?  Let’s explore that more, shall we?

I have often wondered how some people go through life being unapologetic for their words or actions.  Do they realize that they are hurting people?  Or do they even care?  Are they convinced that they know best and that being “truthful” is the only way to go?  You know what I say:  they are hurt.  It’s their defense mechanism to “get them before they get me.”  The bible speaks of this in Luke 6:45  “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”  So, I’m left to believe that when we say things quickly without thinking it’s what is stored up in our hearts.  Good and bad!  It’s like playing the word association game where the object is to say the first thing that comes to mind.  Sometimes our answers surprise us.

These days, I find myself thinking way more about how I will react to things said and done to me.  I’ve been in situations where someone close to me would talk to me in a tone that was just harsh enough to keep me from asking too many questions — an intimidation tactic that had obviously worked in the past and which they had now mastered.  I guarantee that they don’t even know they are doing it anymore.  It occurred to me that they did this because their heart was hurting.  They wanted love and support but didn’t know how to actually receive it from people who love them.  Instead, they spoke out of the hurt they had stored up in their heart.  How do I help them if they won’t let me in?  Love them anyway, right?  Right, but with boundaries.  Without boundaries, the words that come at you from a hurt heart can start building up in your own.    Over the years, I’ve endured a lot of these hurtful words, but I had to stop, because I started seeing that my words were starting to turn dark.  I couldn’t allow the bad to push out the good.  I had to set boundaries.

Check your heart.  Are your words sharp as knives, soft as clouds, or somewhere in-between?   Do you find yourself angry or satisfied?  I had a gut check recently that let me know right away that I needed to work on my heart.  Being self-aware is so important; don’t wait until you hurt someone’s feelings to look at yourself.  Listen to the Holy Spirit when he is prompting you to examine what is stored up in your heart.  You cannot help anyone if you yourself have bad stored up in your heart.  Luke 6:42  “How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

So, do you need a gut check?  Here’s a hint:  if you said no immediately, you just might!  We all can work on something.  I challenge you to pray about it, ask God to help you identify the area in your life where you need to push out the bad and accept the good.

Meet Chelsea Hill

My name is am Chelsea, wife to Kevin and mom to Landon (10), Leighton (8) and Logan (6). I work full time at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and have been there for almost 14 years. I love being involved with my family…and all that entails with raising 3 boys! We love camping and the SEAHAWKS!!!! God is good and never fails!

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