unfiltered disgruntlement or thankful confidence

You spill a glass of milk.
You stub your big toe.
Your cell phone gets disconnected during an important call.
You get cut off in traffic.
The list of day-to-day annoyances goes on and on and on.

When these nuisances occur, our natural reaction is to blurt out a hearty four lettered "#@*!" while we wrap our minds around how to endure the newest frustration that has come about.

But what does our chosen vexation say about our heart? How are we representing a perfect God when we blurt out profanities and inappropriate language in unfiltered disgruntlement and disappointment?

Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' " (Matthew 15:10-11)

This topic is not a new struggle for me. I can swish out my toilet mouth with the best of intentions every single day and still fall short when my pen runs out of ink or the batteries die in the remote control. Then, without deliberation or thought... all bets are off. Before I know it, I have yelled out another inappropriate "gem" for my family and friends to hear and cover their ears. As a result, I have negatively chipped away from my Christian testimony and have presented myself and my Savior as inapproachable... dissatisfied... beaten. Is this how I want to be? Is this how I want to represent my King?

Friends, good intentions can only get us so far. However, to fully sanitize ourselves from sinful lips, we must seek after the One who created our tongues in the first place. We must go directly to the Master of all matters and turn to Him in obedience and thankfulness - especially through the seemingly trivial irritations that occur in our lives. You see, God tells us that all things are planned for our benefit and His ultimate good. When we willingly trust Him and accept the experiences He has sanctioned (even the little annoyances that creep into our day), we are able to look through His eternal lens rather than our own limited scope or viewpoint. As a result, our hearts are more open to mirror His holy tone, and we are able to adopt how Jesus would react to things and give glory to our Father in heaven.

But it is key to keep our eyes focused on the Creator. It is imperative to share His heart in all matters. For everything... EVERYTHING will happen according to His perfect plan. So much so, that we must look at even the smallest of annoyances as a means to expose His abundance and love! We must use all moments to give Him glory!

Might we all be challenged to lay down every word spoken on God's altar. Ask Him to remove any forms of disappointment from your heart and instead teach you to give thanks in all circumstances. Remember, all things really do work together for His good. So, let's remember to faithfully keep Him first in both word and deed so that we can be used to glorify His Name and share Him with others whom we may come in contact... especially those closest to us!

Let us no longer negatively chip away from our testimonies. Let us no longer present our Savior as inapproachable... dissatisfied... beaten. No! He is our Redeemer and we are more than conquerors in His Name! His Spirit is always available... always encouraging... always confident in the Almighty Father's will! As His people, we should live the same.

Let's use our words to uplift and uphold the way of Jesus. In all things, let's be content and thankful. Let's live our lives following the Savior's perfect example and be a people set apart... holy and pleasing in His sight. We are living, breathing testimonies saved by His grace. So, let's "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

This is the day that the Lord has made... let's rejoice and BE GLAD IN IT!

Blessings!

Blog Posting Written By Victoria Anderson
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