Fasting Speech

I lack gracious lips. Without meaning to do so, and without hearing myself do it at the time, I criticize and am judgemental.

So, last evening, I decided, as much as is possible, to fast speech and pray for lips of grace. I want to listen to what other people are saying and to note how they are gracious with their words. I guess I'm as much fasting and praying for ears to hear as I am for lips that are gracious. When I do break my fast, I want to be able to carefully weigh what I say before the words cross my lips. I'm praying that God will give me ears to hear and that I won't need to be silent for the rest of my life.

Being completely speech-free is impossible in my field of work. At home, it seems much easier.

Here are some things I've observed and learned today:

1) My thoughts do tend to be critical and judgemental at times. It would follow that my speech is as well, even though I hadn't realized it.
2) My heart breaks when I hear others do the same. What must God think of us?
3) People lash out in bitterness and anger when they don't understand the reason for your silence (sorry if that sounds critical or judgemental, but it has been my experience today).
4) Keeping silent creates a burden all its own. God gave us speech in order to help us release what's inside of us, but there's POWER in our words. Power to build up or power to tear down. Power to create or power to destroy from the inside out. Power to diffuse or power to ignite.
5) Speech helps us to bear one another's burdens.
6) Speech connects us to one another.
7) On my own, I have no idea how to have grace or operate in it...How will I ever be able to think and speak graciously unless God fills me with His very own Grace??? Father, I need Your Grace. I can't do it on my own.