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taming of the shrew

by Jessica Van Roekel | Apr 8, 2016 | Christian Living | 5 comments

I took a Shakespeare class once upon a time. Most people thought I was crazy; I thought I was maybe smart, however, I think they must have been right!

Anyway–I loved the sound of the poetry, the syntax, and the obscure way Shakespeare presented a thought. Who knew being crazy could be so beautiful–I am looking at you, Ophelia. There was so much tragedy–so much humor–so much spoken between the lines that to grasp the depth one must attend.

My poor children received the sharp side of my tongue the other day. What I said was appropriate and right, but what I said between the lines was so very, very wrong. So wrong that I needed to apologize and seek forgiveness. It was one of those very sad mama days.

This tongue of mine–James 3:8 says that no human being can tame it and I would have to unequivocally agree! You know those folks who are great at thinking on their feet and have the best comebacks? I am not one of them, it usually takes at least 24 hours before one comes to me and then, of course, it is too late. *shrug* However, there have been those rare occasions that a snappy comeback flew out of my mouth that was neither witty nor amusing, but downright mean and calloused. It’s enough to make me want to crawl into a whole and never open my mouth again. I cannot tame my tongue.

There is this lovely verse in 2 Corinthians that encourages us to take every thought captive to obey Christ. The day my tongue let loose like a rain of fire? I was NOT taking my thoughts captive, in fact, I wasn’t even thinking about them in the first place. A mind submitted to Christ reaps a harvest of words committed to Christ, but even then….

Exhibit A:  Four Children

Datestamp of said shrew-ness: Recently

Outcome: A Lesson in Humility and Forgiveness.

All is not lost when the tongue is a shrew. There is hope and forgiveness in Christ. There is power in the Holy Spirit. It is true that there is life and death in the tongue. Which will I yield to today? Which will I yield to tomorrow?

Let us bring healing with our words. Let our words be filled with gentleness and seasoned with wisdom. Let us endeavor to speak words of life into the hearts and minds of our people and also to ourselves.

 

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When we struggle with doubt, we can have a couple of different responses. We can ignore them or look to the world’s wisdom to handle them. Both responses allow the doubt to grow. 
 
But I’ve learned God is big enough to handle my toughest questions. Questions like, Did I hear you right? Why does my loved one have to suffer? Why are there so many divisions between people. Don’t you care? Doubt filtered through the power of God’s word leads us closer to him. 
 
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Who else struggles with perfectionism? I once thought being perfect would protect me from rejection, but it was like swatting at flies with a tennis racket. Perfectionism leads to under developing the ability to hear God’s approval and over developing an ear tuned to what others say or don’t say. 
 
Can we look at the woman in the mirror and speak kindly to her? Or do we run over the list of the failures and reiterate the old messages that say, “not good enough” and “unworthy?” Changing these thoughts feels insurmountable, but with God’s help, we can start small. 
 
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#christianwoman #Jesus #selftalk #livingwater #welcomegrace #reframingrejectionbook

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We position ourselves near someone who can help us get ahead. We stroke the ego of the person in charge. We make their approval our number one goal. But we lose ourselves in the process. 
 
We lose our calling and identity because we grow warped trying to bend ourselves into a shape we can’t even identify. Chasing after man’s approval is like chasing the wind. We will not catch it. Wouldn’t it be better to stop and pursue God like we do people?

#reframingrejectionbook #Jesus #Christianwomen #approval

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Idols can take the form of entertainment, success, independence, people, beauty, and searching for approval. I’ve made idols out of my own comfort and missed ministry opportunities because I was more concerned about if it “felt” comfortable than about obeying God. 
 
Psalm 115 says that those who make idols will be like them: deaf, blind, mute, and unable to move. But those who tear them down find freedom to hear, see, speak, and find their purpose once again. Today, will you join me and take a bit of time to ask the Lord to reveal areas of our lives where we may have built idols. He is gentle with us and will help us tear it down.  

#reframingrejectionbook #christianwomen #discipleship #surrender #loveJesusChrist

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#christianwomen #loveGod #brokenness #discipleship #reframingrejectionbook

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The next time our hearts throb with disregard or disappointment, let’s agree to give it space and time for healing. This means we receive God’s comfort by coming to a full stop and share how betrayed we feel. Then, we apply his word as salve to our wounds. We read scriptures that remind us of his love for us and the healing power of forgiveness. And we give it time. Time for God to bind our wounds and time to heal

#believe #holyspirit #pray #bibleverse #inspiration #christianliving #prayer #womenoffaith #bibletime #jesuschrist #liveyourfaith #bibleinspiration #amazinggrace #trustgod #wordbeforeworld #devotional #reframingrejectionbook

View

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The day I burned my entire palm, I couldn’t focus on anything else. I tried to read but couldn’t. I tried watching a movie and all I could see was the air pulsating while pain throbbed through my hand. I came to a full stop. I treated my hand with salve. I rested. I changed bandages. I gave space and time to heal. This experience made me wonder if I give my heart the same kind of treatment. I realized I don’t. Do you?

The next time our hearts throb with disregard or disappointment, let’s agree to give it space and time for healing. This means we receive God’s comfort by coming to a full stop and share how betrayed we feel. Then, we apply his word as salve to our wounds. We read scriptures that remind us of his love for us and the healing power of forgiveness. And we give it time. Time for God to bind our wounds and time to heal

#believe #holyspirit #pray #bibleverse #inspiration #christianliving #prayer #womenoffaith #bibletime #jesuschrist #liveyourfaith #bibleinspiration #amazinggrace #trustgod #wordbeforeworld #devotional #reframingrejectionbook
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