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A Sunday Thought from the Circle L-Communication

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A Sunday Thought from the Circle L-Communication 

In all of our relationships, when communication starts to fade, everything else
follows. I pray that I become a better communicator. 

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
James 1:19


Hello Friends!

My Sunday Thought is all about Communication.

You see the last couple of days have been a little rough and the reason for that is a lack of communication. I decided to do a little Bible reading about Communication for more answers. This is what I found:

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement.
Matthew 12:36

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. 
Proverb 18:21

What we say and how we listen to others is important to God. Did you know that?  I knew it but I didn't really think about it. My struggle these last few days has found me lost. It has brought tears to my eyes and has tested the strength of my soul but I know that I have a choice.

I have a choice to stay defeated or I have a choice to overcome.

I have chosen to overcome. I can overcome anything with God on my side. 

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
James 1:19

Many of our communication pitfalls that wreck our relationships come from not listening, speaking too much or too quickly and being angry. Right? It is our human nature to speak our minds and not to listen. It is our human nature to be selfish. It is our human nature to get our feelings hurt and to be angry. James tell us that we should do the opposite. We should be swift to hear and slow to speak. 

Swift to Hear and Slow to Speak.

He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
Proverbs 18:13

Listening skills are something rarely taught and generally we neglect them. Do we really know how to listen? Listening is so important. We all need to focus on the other person and force ourselves to try to understand their view point before sharing our own. 

We all want to, and are taught to, Express ourselves, right?  But when our self-expressions keep us from really understanding the other person, we are being foolish and selfish. Right?  This is hard. I know. Paul tells us how our attitude should be:

Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife, or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 
Philippians 2 :3-4

These past couple of days, I have recognized a few things that will improve our listening:
Smile.
Look the other person in the eye.
Block out distractions.
Put down electronics. 
Focus on what they are trying to say. (This was my problem this week. I won't lie, My Cowboy and I had a huge problem with this one.)

Slow to Speak

Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
Psalms 141:3

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. 
Psalms 19:14

We want All of our words to be pleasing to God.  I have found that when we have Godly words, then our communication is easy. We have to communicate each and every day. We need to practice good communication for all our relationships to grow.  My mom would say, 
"Think before you speak, Naomi."  Yep, I very clearly understand that statement.  I say it to my kids all the time.  We also need to choose our words carefully. 

God gives us some tips for good communication. (I have printed these out.)

Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. 
Colossians 4:6

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsover things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians 4:8 

God has left us an example.  His Spirit is the true source of our joy, and we need to be thankful for that.  Communication doesn't need to be gossip or to be offensive. 

Successful communication needs be kind, needs to be the truth, and it needs love. We can defuse negative feelings and promote positive relationships when we have successful communication. 

These past couple of days I have found a way to have Successful spoken communication:
Use "I" statements. 
Apologize.
Forgive and Forget.
Have encouragement. 
Express appreciation. 

All in all, these past days have taught me a lot of communication. I have learned that it is SOOOOOO important to have communication with your husband. I have learned that it is pretty easy to get lazy at communicating. I have learned that I need to pray for better words. 

Happy Monday, dear friends. Do you have good communication? If so, I want to know your secrets.



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