On words...

and waiting...

I’ve been working through a journal that is based on Isaiah chapter 61. Admittedly, I’ve never been good at journaling, but this one is different.

Each page contains a different type of prompt. Artwork, a Scripture, a phrase, and they always point back to a portion of Isaiah 61.

I purchased the journal originally because the author wrote a Christian fiction book based on Beauty and the Beast that touched me deeply and Isaiah 61 has deep meaning to me as well.

Thus, it’s not a surprise that this particular journal has me completing one page each morning as I sit with a cup of hot chai in hand.

According to Isaiah 61, we are called to…

…preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

…to comfort all that mourn;

…to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…that he might be glorified.

But what if the words we speak wound instead? Sometimes honesty is not the best policy.

While I believe speaking the truth is essential. The timing of some spoken truths must be impeccable.

How do we find that impeccable timing? Often, it requires something that most of us don’t want to do.

Wait.

We may see things or know things from personal experience that cause us concern for those we love.

But, truthful words spoken in even the most loving manner, for the most loving reasons, aren’t always the right answer for a situation or moment in time.

The older I get, the more honest and truthful I am regarding situations that resemble experiences from my past.

I am one of the people who haven’t mastered the skill of waiting. I love big and desire to protect those I love by “shouting” out the red flags I see.

Today, God showed me that sometimes that isn’t what I’m supposed to do, though. And that’s because I struggle the most with…

Waiting.

Seeing, recognizing and knowing the red flags exist and not speaking about them is heartbreakingly painful to me.

Yet, if I truly love and care deeply about that person, shouldn’t waiting to speak be easier for me?

Or is what I have to say more important than my loved one’s feelings and state of mind?

How can I share “good tidings”, “bind up the brokenhearted”, “comfort all who mourn”, give “beauty for ashes”, “oil of joy for mourning”, a “garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” — so THAT THE LORD BE GLORIFIED — if I can’t wait and only speak when the Lord has instructed me to do so?

When I rush and speak out of place in the midst of a difficult situation, I don’t “bind up” or "comfort”. I wound.

Because the truth is…

Waiting words heal. Rushed words wound.