From Proverbs 29:11
A fool vents all their feelings, but a wise man holds them back,
Daily, I send the law enforcement officers that I Chaplain, a daily devotional. Well, today's devotional was one that I believe fits us all.
How often do things get to us, and we want to vent, or blow our verbal stacks? For me, this is a moment by moment issue for me, and I often want to say the first thing that comes to my mind. Whether its social media, the news, or our daily conversations, many of us have lost the ability to hold in our feelings.
Just today, I saw a horrible post on what some people thought should be done to those that are trying to cross our borders. Besides being shocked, I begin to wonder if people that call themselves followers of Christ, actually know what it means to be a follower of Christ?
No, this is not some pastors diatribe against conservative or liberal speech, rather it is about holding the honor and blessing of the one who calls us to be His. We cannot say on Sunday, "love others as Christ calls us", and then say on Monday morning, "kill all the illegals trying to cross our border". The honorable thing would be to say, how can we work with them, or how can we turn them around, feed them, tend to their sick, love them, and work with the world and God in making their homelands a safer and more prosperous place to live.
The generation before ours knew the meaning of honor, loyalty, courage, and commitment, they knew what it meant to live in a way that brought honor to those responsible for them. God, and humanity. Have we in today's society thrown those principles away for the principles of entertainment, social media, and other selfish endeavors?
When we lose our tempers, when we respond without thinking, we take the honor away from God who we claim to profess. Whatever our profession, and whatever the conversation, our speech represents The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
Sometimes when we vent, even when feeling justified, we do a dishonor to the parents that raised us, the pastors that try to teach us, and the God that created us.
Praying for honor over anger.
Pastor Tim.
