One little memory can trigger the hurt and pain of the words that hurt and it's hard to remember that forgiveness frees a bitter soul from the captivity of words...and that the Word became flesh fills our empty, hurting souls with words that nourish and give life.
And a friend who speaks honest words in love and in truth is precious, sweet to the soul like honey (Proverbs 16:24).
I wrote these words in my journal about those sweet friends God has so graciously placed in my life: "Whenever we are in fellowship I feel so safe and wholly loved. I can be real with them, because they are real to me. There are no fake facades or pretend smiles."
Lately, anxiety has twisted the words of others, making me question and analyze everything said to me or read out loud from a facebook page. And without realizing it, one little word can remind me of a whole slew of words that once crippled and held me captive.
But then a friend, sweet to the soul like honey, said to me, both in truth and love, words I needed to hear, spoken gently enough not to bruise my already aching heart. "Have you been reading your bible?"
Because without His truth dripping through my veins, life-giving words filling my empty, broken spirit, I will continue to be held captive.
And so, each morning, no matter how I'm feeling, whether or not the kids are running around screaming for my attention, I make time for His words. Before I even hear the excuses sinking into my mind, I open up to His words and breathe a fresh, deep breath, soaking up every ounce of His words that live and move and captivate my soul.
Matthew Henry wrote in his commentary of Psalm 119, "the word of God is sweet, very sweet, sweeter than any of the gratifications of sense, even those that are most delicious" and I couldn't have said it better myself. His words are sweet, very sweet, sweeter than any other.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
(Psalm 119:103)
The written word is often difficult, especially in a forum like Facebook. Without hearing the tone of voice or seeing a person's expressions, the written word must be carefully chosen. I have to say that it has been too long since I just sat down with the Word of God. Your friend sounds wise. I enjoyed reading this post. Thanks for visiting my blog:)
ReplyDeleteHow much truth, how much grace, how much love is found here: "Because without His truth dripping through my veins, life-giving words filling my empty, broken spirit, I will continue to be held captive."
ReplyDeleteYes, Steph, yes. Thank you for putting this into words my ears could really, really hear.
"sweeter than honey"--i need to remember this better.
ReplyDeletewe wound and we heal with our powerful words. may mine be sweet. thanks for the reminder.
Isn't it wonderful to have a place to go that offers the words we need to hear when we need to hear them. Thanks so much for linking up.
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