I rarely used to state my opinion out loud. Sure, I’d think it to myself frequently, but I’d never say anything that could come back to bite me. I never wanted to upset anyone. I never wanted to reveal any sort of weakness.
Not a very good way to get to know people. Not a good way to be a witness for Christ either.
I was afraid to speak out, for fear that I would be wrong or that people wouldn’t like what I had to say. So it was just easier to stay silent. But in recent years, I’ve come to grips with who God made me and why He made me. Now, I can sit and have a conversation with someone and share openly about my life–my successes and my failures, without fearing judgment or condescension. Doesn’t mean I don’t experience it, but it doesn’t bother me anymore.
I had to come to grips with who God made me as a person and what His plans for me look like. When I did that, I didn’t have to be afraid of who I was anymore.
Today’s verses are Psalm 139:14-16.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
Now, some people will barrel through life like bulls in China shops, hooting and hollering and being loud, and they’ll just tell people they were born loud. God made them loud. So that gives them an excuse to run over people.
Sorry, folks. That’s not the case. God never made anyone with the purpose of running other people down. Sure, some of us have a bigger set of lungs than others, but that doesn’t give us the right to disturb someone else’s peace or say things about others that are untrue.
God made you for a purpose. He created you for a reason. But until you accept that purpose and reason for your life, you’ll just be a bull in a China shop, breaking things and making trouble for others. Or you’ll be the quiet one in the corner with a brain full of knowledge but not enough courage to speak out when you need to.
It comes down to how you see yourself, how you see others, and how you see God. Your perspective on those three subjects will determine how you behave.
If you think you’re all that matters, that’s how you’ll live. You’ll make decisions that only benefit you, regardless of how you hurt those around you. Other people won’t matter. And you’ll have the ability to twist God’s words into permission for you to get what you want out of life.
But if you’re focused on God, you’ll have life straight. Maybe it won’t feel like it all the time. Maybe most of the time it’ll feel like life is slipping through your fingers. But you’ll have your priorities correct.
You don’t have to be loud for people to hear you. You don’t have to make noise to get people’s attention. You sure don’t need it to get God’s attention. You already have it, and He’s been trying to talk to you forever. You just aren’t listening.
So knock it off. Quiet down and listen to Him for a change.
And for you quiet folks, don’t be afraid of your opinions. If you’ve got your eyes on God and you’re following Him, He will tell you things in His Word that He might not reveal to other people. Seriously, it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for because they’re quiet enough to listen to God when He’s speaking.
Be open. Be honest. But speak the truth in love. God never reveals truth so that we can use it as a sledgehammer. He reveals truth so that we understand how much He loves us and how desperately we need Him.
Some people hide behind loudness and noise. Other people hide behind silence and curtains. But everybody hides, usually because they think they aren’t good enough.
But God made you who you are, with your foibles and quirks and eccentricities. He knew you’d have your strange propensities before you were even born, and He thinks they’re wonderful. So if God isn’t ashamed of them, why are you?
Always Peachy 