I stand corrected
I can't remember the last time a friend spoke honest words to correct me, for my own sake, so much so that the feeling of being chided was so foreign to me.
As much as my first impulse was to defend myself and justify why I feel I did no wrong -it was all merely in the name of fun! - there's this gentle stirring within that is surely convicting me of the truth in what this friend said.
Of course I was offended to be rebuked like that. I am not a child!
Then, I realized that these kind of friends are hard to come by; friends who love you enough to speak into your life and to speak the truth. Friends who care enough to tell you that you've behaved unkindly and spoken unwholesomely.
I was chewing on Ephesians 4:29 last night and even this morning. And then that familliar pang of guilt pierced right through. I am guilty as charged. So what if I meant it as a joke? The damage was done and I could've possibly hurt another friend, a sister.
Aren't we often guilty of this? I am. In wanting to play along with jesting and teasing, sometimes we forget that we still need to be watchful of the other person's feelings. If it was common sense, why would God put it in the Bible? I figured that it was only because we need proper reminders, lest we forget and make light of these things.
What's the big deal about hurting another person, you ask? The implications are far greater than we could ever imagine. Many often scorn at the real impact of hurtful words (even if they seem to be just a joke); but in reality, the effects are often long-lasting and could be so damaging to one's self-esteem. And the last time I checked, we were supposed to love our neighbour as ourselves. On my part, I don't intend to destroy anyone. If ever, I want to build another, not tear down.
I must carefully guard my tongue and the words that come out of my mouth.
A lesson learnt indeed.
As much as my first impulse was to defend myself and justify why I feel I did no wrong -it was all merely in the name of fun! - there's this gentle stirring within that is surely convicting me of the truth in what this friend said.
Of course I was offended to be rebuked like that. I am not a child!
Then, I realized that these kind of friends are hard to come by; friends who love you enough to speak into your life and to speak the truth. Friends who care enough to tell you that you've behaved unkindly and spoken unwholesomely.
I was chewing on Ephesians 4:29 last night and even this morning. And then that familliar pang of guilt pierced right through. I am guilty as charged. So what if I meant it as a joke? The damage was done and I could've possibly hurt another friend, a sister.
Aren't we often guilty of this? I am. In wanting to play along with jesting and teasing, sometimes we forget that we still need to be watchful of the other person's feelings. If it was common sense, why would God put it in the Bible? I figured that it was only because we need proper reminders, lest we forget and make light of these things.
What's the big deal about hurting another person, you ask? The implications are far greater than we could ever imagine. Many often scorn at the real impact of hurtful words (even if they seem to be just a joke); but in reality, the effects are often long-lasting and could be so damaging to one's self-esteem. And the last time I checked, we were supposed to love our neighbour as ourselves. On my part, I don't intend to destroy anyone. If ever, I want to build another, not tear down.
I must carefully guard my tongue and the words that come out of my mouth.
A lesson learnt indeed.
hey. looks you're back blogging. welcome back. :)
Posted by
shungz |
12:14 PM
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