Who Me?

We were asked yesterday who sits upon the throne of your heart? Who is front and center in your existence? What is comes down to is just how selfish you are. If you are constantly looking out for number one, that leaves very little room, if any, in your heart and life for others. Any service you may render becomes self-serving and stunted. God may use it for good, but think how much more effective and totally beneficial this service could be if you gave little or no thought to personal gain. We are called to pour ourselves out as living sacrifice, and if we don't pay attention to what we can get or grab for all we can get, we will be pleasantly surprised by how blessed we are and how really unimportant those things we originally desired have become. God provides if we are obedient to Him. What we receive may not be what we want, but it will be what we need in abundance.

A Choice of Words

Do you find yourself watching what you say according to the environment in which you find yourself? Do you switch masks as often as you move from one situation to another? What brings about these changes, and how tiring can this sort of thing become due to the amount of energy expended to do so?
We censor ourselves for the sake of unity, and to reduce tension and stress in our lives. But if that becomes our motivation, then are we not denying who we are as God made us? We are taught to be open, true, and honest, yet also told not to be stumbling blocks to others in their quest for the truth. Although these seem contradictory, if examined, they are not mutually exclusive. If we temper our honesty with love, then the words may be recognized as sage advice instead of the arrows they seem to appear being.
So as to the matter of self-censoring, let it instead be seen as editing, in search of the phrasing that will make the words more palatable, and therefore increasing the chances of acceptance, while decreasing the possibility of rejection and overreaction.
We must remember a made up mind is very hard to change, and coming across as attacking will only serve to fortify and thicken the walls of defense, throwing others into hunker down mode, possibly eliminating any chance of being reasoned with or reached. Yes, choose your words wisely, not in an effort to water down or compromise what you intend, but so as to make it less threatening.
Speak the truth, but do it kindly and with compassion.