T.H.I.N.K.
I googled the word and found “direct one's mind toward someone or something; use one's mind actively to form connected ideas.”
I wonder if it isn’t the very last thing some of us do before speaking or acting. I must confess that I’ve slipped right out of the habit of thinking. I speak first and think later. Usually with regret. So, I turn to the book of James. Again. James has a lot to say about behavior, especially what comes out of my mouth.
“A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything--or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.”(James 3:5-6 The Message)
I thought tonight about the acronym, T.H.I.N.K
Is it True?
Is it Helpful?
Is it Inspiring?
Is it Necessary?
Is it Kind?
Ouch. That ‘N’ gets me on a regular basis. Is it necessary, or should I just hush up.
I am encouraged that James also lets me know that I will never arrive in this taming of my tongue. “…you can't tame a tongue--it's never been done.” (James 3:8 The Message)
It is an ongoing battle even in this 60th year of life. I am constantly challenged and regularly ashamed. I forget that I need a divine editor and censor, even in ordinary conversation, and I will need it until my last breath. But rather than continue to feel utterly defeated, I must look at my predicament as an opportunity for growth and for God to do a further work in me and thru me.
I choose to “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.” (James 1:2-3 The Message)
I want those true colors to be beautiful colors, not ugly.
I must not “….lose another minute in building on what I’ve been given, complementing my basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your my life, no grass will grow under my feet, no day will pass without its reward as I mature in my experience of my Master Jesus.” (2 Peter 1:5-8 The Message personalized by me)
Even speaking truth is not always helpful, inspiring, kind, or necessary.
I purpose to T.H.I.N.K. before I speak.
I purpose to speak life and not death.
I purpose to honor God with my words.
