I absolutely LOVE getting together with my friends! Having them over to my house during the week, inviting their children over for playdates, and hosting a meal together makes my heart SO happy!
When I get together with my mom friends, it is so great to catch up! Sometimes it is weeks, monthly or what feels like years worth of chit-chat, and life updating that takes place.
This year, though, something has changed in my family dynamic when it comes to conversations. That change is I am immensely more aware of the ears in my house. In particular my 4 year old daughters ears. She has become such a beautiful, smart, observant, and inquisitive young girl. I am so proud of her and her desire to know and be known. I started the year old developing what I will call my CODE LANGUAGE. You know this language, the language of spelling words out, “Babe, what do you think about us getting some I-C-E C-R-E-A-M?” Or “Let’s do B-E-D E-A-R-L-Y tonight!” The other wonderful element of this CODE LANGUAGE, I like to refer to as “beating around the bush.” Example: ” You know that one thing that we got that one time at Fred Meyers, that makes noise and drives you crazy, I happened to remove that thing from our dwelling and put it in the container that gets picked up on Wednesday, ;).”
This CODE LANGUAGE is used to hide things from ears that shouldn’t hear them, but convictively, what I have noticed in myself is when I am in conversation and talking about things that are more deep then ice cream, toys and bedtime, I am using this CODE LANGUAGE to gossip, tear down, and judge people or events.
My prayer for myself is that I would heed the words of Colossians 4:6 (NIV) that says “6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Or (MSG) says it this way, “Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.”
Dear Lord, I ask the the Holy Spirit would continue to convict me in my conversations. I pray that as I am being refined and being created into your image that my conversations would be gracious and attractive. For the sake of my integrity, building others up, being a light to those listening and importantly the ears of my children, I want them to have the example of building others up, be gracious with my words and having attractive and pleasing conversations. Thank you Lord for the work you have begun in me and may it continue.
Join me as I pray for wisdom of my words.