"Think, Before You Speak"

As a child, I remember hearing these words uttered by my mom many a times. It took me a while to truly learn what she meant by it though. As I matured, I began to learn that what she was saying was that I should process my thoughts before saying them. Emphasizing, clarifying my thoughts, opinions, or comments. In Psalm 103, we find an interesting statement David says “Praise the Lord, I tell myself;with my wholehearted….” then in verse 2 “Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me.” David had to remind himself of the goodness of God when his mind wanted to dwell on all the trials of life. Instead of talking about the negative situation that create a hopeless void in our hearts and mind he dwelled and thought about God and made that his priority. It does take discipline, but it really takes a conscious choice to say, I will think of the Lord, before I speak. I will process my thoughts and allow my God to change my perspective and give clarity. The more we do it the more I believe it will change our lives and influence those around us to draw closer to him.