Woman to Woman: Speaking Truth with Love

As women, one of our greatest struggles stems from our tongue.

Truth be told it's not just a woman's trial, it's all humankind, but we as women tend to have a harder time controlling our tongues. We have power in our mouths to encourage and lift up and yet we don't always yield to that positive power.

Rather James reminds us:

But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. James 3:8

This challenge can stand in the way of our spiritual growth and our relationships. Since our tongue can speak encouragement or defeat, why do we so often speak ugliness? James again addresses this -

Sometimes we speak ugliness in the guise of "truth." Offering constructive criticism under the guise of helpfulness isn't always helpful. Being a critic and offering a critique are two different things. Giving helpful criticism can be encouraging, especially if we offer solutions to go along with it. In that instance we become a source of joy versus piling on a discouraging attitude when we offer no help. Possibly you weren't even asked for your opinion but you offered it anyway. In this case, I think you'd agree it would be better not to offer your "help."

We also have to be incredibly careful that our critical spirit doesn't become a habit with which we see only negative in this world. If you are always thinking on negativity, reading negativity, filling your mind with negative thoughts - the ending result will be a negative and critical spirit. Don't forget the importance of thinking on those things that will develop a positive spirit and deepen our relationship with Christ.

In our homes, we don't always treat each other as kindly as we would strangers or guests and this is so upside down and inside out.

Will you join me this week to walk out the truth of speaking life into our family and friends by the words we say.

By encouraging rather than discouraging our husbands.
By taking notice when our kids are doing something well, or being kind and grasping the opportunity to encourage them with noticing their efforts.
By speaking truth on our Facebook profiles and Twitter feeds.

If we speak no differently than the world, how can we expect to share with them the life changing Christ who has saved us from so much. They will have no desire to hear what we have to say because we are not living out our faith in our daily lives.