Tongue-tied

This morning I was reading Psalm 139 as I have been reading every morning since May of this year and the verses that stood out to me were a gentl reminder about the words I speak.

Psalm 139:4- "Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD."

The Message - "You know everything I'm going to say before I start the first sentence."

Did you ever have one of those days where you were tongue-tied. Yesterday, was one of those days. I have been fighting off a cold and as mom's we do not have time to get sick and i am working on a few projects and I just was not connecting with others in my communication. I needed to take a breath and really just go to bed and rest to fight off my cold instead of getting frustrated in my conversations.

So I did go to bed and i have been laying low today and as i was having my quiet time and i began reading Psalm 139 it was like the Lord was gently reminding me to not beat myself up....he knows me, he already knew I would have this kind of a day and He still loves me....move on.

vs. 10 - "your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."

vs. 16 - "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

Proverbs 15:1- "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

Am I trying to prove or improve the situation? When I try to prove I am right, I use the circumstances of the conflict as an arsenal to attack the other person. I come armed with past hurts and offenses ready to state my case. I'm tempted to tear down the other person. I react from a place of hurt and anger and can often say things I later regret instead of responding in love.
On the other hand, when my desire is to improve the relationship, I seek to understand where the other person is coming from and I care enough about the relationship to fight for it rather than against it. Instead of reacting out of anger, I pause and let the Holy Spiri t interrupt my first impulses. I tackle the issues, not the person.