K

The word silence occurs thirty-four times in the Bible and according to the dictionary it means to prohibit or prevent from speaking. Have you ever been in a situation in which you walked away wishing you had just remained silent? Of course you have, we all have! There is something profound in being able to use divine wisdom in times our flesh may fail and cause more damage. In those moments of restraint, you are not only avoiding an unnecessary conflict, but you are pleasing God with your obedience. “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.” Proverbs 17:28.

I have found that sometimes the kindest thing I can do when in the midst of a difficult situation is to remain still in God and not succumb to the flesh. Think about one of those instances when your mouth opened and said things that you could never take back. Those words that were released into the atmosphere to never return to the place of anger, bitterness and most times hurt. Those moments we fail to use wisdom are usually the times we learn the most insightful lesson of all – silence. God instructs to love one another, but our words can be daggers of hate and hurt to those we love most if we aren’t careful. We all fall into the trap of the enemy when emotions are high and our own guilt distorts our thinking, but the most incredible thing you can do to honor others (friends, family or foes) is to just not say anything at all. Creating boundaries within relationships is imperative but creating boundaries for yourself and the way you respond can bring about a level of freedom you never knew existed. Those boundaries can often be very hard to establish, but once in place you will find that your peace cannot be shaken when others cross the line.

Those words won’t hurt as much, the lies won’t warp your mind as much, their behavior will no longer control your reaction and your heart will soon learn to mend. Friends, that does not mean that you simply ignore and forget what they have done to you. It means that although the damage is done you refuse to allow the enemy to steal your joy and peace along the way. You will begin growing in Christ when practicing restraint and you will soon see that you also begin seeing others as Christ sees you. The love our Father has for us begins to transform our reactions to the world because our souls actively bear witness with the righteousness of Him. Does this mean we will never get our feelings hurt? Nope, you will. It simply means that even when we have the opportunity to hurt others in return, we will choose to respond in love which is most certainly portrayed even in your silence. If you are reading this right now and preparing in your head the conversation you are going to have with someone because they have offended you deeply, this could be your sign to just remain silent in this season.

That does not mean that a conversation will never happen but allowing yourself time to pray and seek God’s guidance is the most important thing you can do when dealing with the hurt of others. “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3. In this last 365 days, I have learned that safeguarding the words spoken from my mouth even in times of justified defense was the most profound act of faith I could have ever done. When you start exercising silence (in person, on social media, at meetings, in the home) you will begin to trust God to speak for you. The sharpest words I could have spoken in those times of hurt would have never brought about resolution like the resolution God brought about in His timing. I encourage you to examine your mouth this week and the things you are allowing to flow from it – silence truly can be golden.

“The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14.

Blessings,

Kayla