Words, they're just words
I woke up thinking about a goat. For those of you who know my fear of goats, you understand why using a goat as a source of inspiration is just plain weird! But God likes to use the simple things in life to teach us great lessons. So if He prompts me out of bed to write a blog using a stomping goat as my inspiration, well I ain't gonna argue the point: so, today, a goat it will be.
Apparently goats have very useful hooves. They use them to climb, dig, and tamp ground. When you cross the memorial bridge into Hardy County, WV, you can see exactly what I mean. There are several goats on the hillside, it's not as sheer a face as some photos I've seen, but for us locals, it's as good as I can think of.
Anyway, I woke up thinking, no, let me rephrase that, God woke me up earlier this morning with the visual of a goat tamping the ground and I heard "That's what you all do to one another" and I got the feeling that He wasn't pleased. You see, when we tamp something down, we cause it to either die and sprout (a seed) or die and remain (a squashed bug). Words are like seeds and their harsh intent kills.
The Bible says that words spoken in love are like golden apples in a silver bowl (Proverbs 25:11) . In other words, beautiful and nourishing. But the Bible also says that the wrong words can kill (Proverbs 18:21). So I guess the point of this post is to pose a question: "What are our words tamping down?"
Are we speaking words of life or death? Are we lifting others up or cutting them down? Are we using them as a sharp tool? Are we tamping others down to build ourselves up? I guess we should also remember that words spoken with good intent, tamped down in a sharp tone, can cause more harm than good.
I don't know why I was given this thought at 3AM, if it is for me or someone else, but one thing for sure, I can't get that image of a goat hooving the ground or God's displeasure out of my mind.
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Have a blessed Tuesday and I pray that each of us choose to use smart, gentle, kind words today. Words used to tamp down good seed.
Keep it real y'all, in Christ with love and compassion,
Coach Kelly
Apparently goats have very useful hooves. They use them to climb, dig, and tamp ground. When you cross the memorial bridge into Hardy County, WV, you can see exactly what I mean. There are several goats on the hillside, it's not as sheer a face as some photos I've seen, but for us locals, it's as good as I can think of.
Anyway, I woke up thinking, no, let me rephrase that, God woke me up earlier this morning with the visual of a goat tamping the ground and I heard "That's what you all do to one another" and I got the feeling that He wasn't pleased. You see, when we tamp something down, we cause it to either die and sprout (a seed) or die and remain (a squashed bug). Words are like seeds and their harsh intent kills.
The Bible says that words spoken in love are like golden apples in a silver bowl (Proverbs 25:11) . In other words, beautiful and nourishing. But the Bible also says that the wrong words can kill (Proverbs 18:21). So I guess the point of this post is to pose a question: "What are our words tamping down?"
Are we speaking words of life or death? Are we lifting others up or cutting them down? Are we using them as a sharp tool? Are we tamping others down to build ourselves up? I guess we should also remember that words spoken with good intent, tamped down in a sharp tone, can cause more harm than good.
I don't know why I was given this thought at 3AM, if it is for me or someone else, but one thing for sure, I can't get that image of a goat hooving the ground or God's displeasure out of my mind.
+ + +
Have a blessed Tuesday and I pray that each of us choose to use smart, gentle, kind words today. Words used to tamp down good seed.
Keep it real y'all, in Christ with love and compassion,
Coach Kelly
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