Sunday, September 14, 2014

Character Quality: Discretion

     When we speak words, we need to think about what repercussions our words may carry.  Have you ever heard the old saying "Think before you speak!"  That has a lot of meaning to it.  We need to use wisdom so we can avoid doing or saying something we will regret later. 

 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
    and discerning if they hold their tongues. ~ Proverbs 17:28

     As we grow in Christ, we will also grow in discretion.  As we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us and not to follow the flesh, discretion will come.  We will be able to stop and listen before spouting off at the mouth.  If we allow our emotions to control us, we will have no discretion at all.  Our emotions and attitudes can get us into a lot of trouble.  That is why it is so important to surrender our lives and our mouths to God. 

    As parents we need to teach our children when it is okay to speak and when it is not proper.  They need to gain an understanding that our words can be hurtful, if we do not have self-control of our emotions.  If you catch your child using his words to hurt another, you must step in, take your child to the side, and let them know that is not acceptable behavior.  Have them apologize immediately to the person they hurt and make sure they understand why it was wrong. 

"Sometimes our best statements are made by saying
 nothing at all."  ~ Oswald Chambers



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