On Passionate Writing: Conversation

The real art of conversation

is not only to say the right thing at the right time,

but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing

at the tempting moment.

How true!

It's so easy to say what we think--or not think.
Those of us who are "chatter boxes," rattle on and on,
sometimes not realizing how boring, how irritating
our constant speech
about our life, our problems, our ideas
can be.

Sometimes we say hurtful things, meaning to
or not.
But is it because we talk too much?
Is it because we're too thoughtless?

When someone insults us
or cuts us off
or betrays us
or whatever.

How do we respond?
How do we react?

Prayer is the key.
Ask God to guard our lips and our tongue.
To say only what he would have us to say

It could possibly be the hardest thing we've been called to do.
The Bible cautions us to guard our tongue.
To not wound
To keep the peace
To encourage
To uplift.

In so doing, we've climbed that ladder to heaven
just a bit higher!

Blessings!

Sunday Morning Peace

Watch and Pray,

that ye enter not into temptation:

the spirit indeed is willing,

but the flesh is weak.

--Jesus

Saint Matthew 26: 41

   Wild,
Beautiful
    and

Dangerous

Imagine: moving through the water with a beautiful killer whale beside you. One that you've loved, trained, worked with for years . . .

But now, the black and white creature is showing her wild nature . . . a nature that has been tamed--to a degree. A nature that has been altered--in a minor way, so that she obeys commands and shows off and stuns crowds with her performance. Still, a wild nature.

Whether obeying its killer instincts or whether from wanting its trainer close and trying to show affection to you, you're suddenly on the receiving end of unwanted attention . . . This killer whale has pulled you under the water--a habitat outside of your limits after a certain amount of time and without the proper equipment--and . . . 

with your waist clamped between its jaws, you have minutes or seconds before you're dead . . . what are you thinking?

I'm fascinated with animals. Wild or tame, most of them have a loneness, a dignity about them that commands attention. They are creatures that are beautiful. But wild. And dangerous.

If you heard the latest about the killer whale in Florida who killed Dawn, the trainer, it will refresh your memory that wild animals are dangerous. Especially when big.

A few tidbits about killer whales:

• There's some research that says due to the killer whales superior brain power, pitted against the great white shark, they'll come out on top. How? Not my strength or size, for sure. But by flipping the whale over, who promptly goes into a trance and is at the mercy of the killer whale.
• While there is no known instance of a killer whale attacking a human in the wild, the number of shark attacks continue at the rate of more than one a week.
• Average life span in the wild: 50 to 80 years

And a few more:

• Their size is relative to a bus: Orcas, or killer whales, are the largest of the dolphins and one of the world's most powerful predators.
• They feast on marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, and even whales, employing teeth that can be four inches (ten centimeters) long. They are known to grab seals right off the ice (ouch!). They also eat fish, squid, and seabirds.

Makes you realize that there are some things in our personal lives that we need to stay away from. Things, that without God's help, we have no business messing with. Places, where we shouldn't go. People we should avoid. Weaknesses in ourselves we should guard against. Words that should never be spoken.

In Corinthians God promises that he won't let us be tempted beyond what we can handle. Satan brings temptations to all of us, but God is bigger and more powerful. We can rest in that knowledge!

Quote:

Every great mistake has a halfway moment, a split second, when it can be recalled and perhaps remedied. --Pearl S. Buck

Blessings