• Home
    • Resources
    • The Gospel
    • Statement of Faith
    • Church Finder
    • Homemaking Courses
    • Privacy Policy
  • About
    • About Me
    • Sponsorships
    • My Church Home
    • The Bar Podcast Network
    • My Favorite Blogging & Podcast Tools
  • Start Here
  • Free Library
    • Sign Up for Access
    • Enter Library (password required)
    • Meal Planning PDF
  • Resources
    • All Resources
    • Homemaking Courses
    • TH Gear – Mugs, T-Shirts, Tote Bags & Sweatshirts
    • Amazon Shop (Books, Home Items & More!)
    • Journals & Notebooks
    • Etsy Shop
    • Free Library
  • Top 10 Book List
  • Support
    • Patreon Support
    • One Time Donation
    • Sponsorships
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Thankful Homemaker

Gospel-Driven Encouragement for Homemakers

  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Homemaking
    • Menu Planning Made Easy Course
  • Marriage
    • Marriage Series
  • Motherhood
  • Christian Living
    • Spiritual Disciplines Series
    • Sermon on the Mount
  • Homemaking Courses
  •  

EP 67: Speech Seasoned with Grace and Kindness

by Marci Ferrell
Christian Living Communicating with Our Children Communication in Marriage Podcast

917 shares
  • Facebook774
  • Twitter

I’d love to help you simplify your meal planning. Check out my new menu planning course here.

If you're encouraged by the podcast & blog consider becoming a friend of Thankful Homemaker at Patreon

When our speech is seasoned with grace and kindness it will overlook mistakes in the lives of others and encourage instead of discouraging. @thankfulhomemaker

When our speech is seasoned with grace and kindness it will overlook mistakes in the lives of others and encourage instead of discouraging. @mferrell

With the holiday season before us, many of us may find ourselves around people who can be a challenge to communicate without it turning into a heated discussion. We may be the ones challenging to communicate with.

You can read the post below (5 minutes) or listen in to the podcast, where I share a bit more information (14 minutes). 

 

 Find all podcast episodes or subscribe to the podcast here. 

Related Articles:

Are You Kind to Your Husband?

Dealing with Controversy as a Christian

Gently Correcting One Another

As I pondered the topic of speech seasoned with grace and truth, one area that came to my mind is when I’ve messed up, and someone overlooked it and offered me grace. They didn’t feel the need to correct me or even bring it up at a later time.

Have you ever had a person like that in your life? Or are you that person in someone else’s life? The reality is, we know when we’ve messed up.

No one has to tell me I need to lock the door before I leave the house, or shut the garage door, or turn off the oven when I’m done using it or whatever multitude of other things I at times forget to do or mess up.

I know it’s not always the case, but most times, we know when we’ve messed up and someone feeling the need to point it out doesn’t usually help the situation. 

I know there are things we need to teach and correct our children, but how often do we overdo it and nitpick every little thing that they can feel they can’t do anything right?

In those moments, when we overlook an error or mistake in someone’s life, it’s an act of offering them grace and kindness.

When our speech is seasoned with grace and kindness it will overlook mistakes in the lives of others and encourage instead of discouraging.

When our speech is seasoned with grace and kindness it will overlook mistakes in the lives of others and encourage instead of discouraging. Click to Tweet

I’ve shared in the past on the importance of kindness in our homes because it’s an area that hits home to me. I know the difference it makes to respond kindly to one another, and I know how I am drawn to those friends and family who to respond to me in this way.

We’re generally not drawn to people who are mean, critical or continually correcting us because it’s hurtful, but it’s also exhausting to be around them. I am not saying we are to avoid correction or speaking hard truths or receiving them, but it’s usually not as necessary as we think it is.

At our holiday tables, there will be lots of conversations going on and some that may raise emotions a bit. We can be quick to share our opinions and thoughts before we’ve thought them through. Our opinion seems important to us, but we need to ask ourselves that powerful, simple sentence, “Is it necessary.”

In a little devotional called Joy & Strength by Mary Wilder Tileston, she shares a quote from someone named H. Bowman:

“You feel in some families as if you were living between the glasses of a microscope. Manner, accent, expression, all that goes to make up your ‘personality,’ all that you do or leave undone, is commented upon and found fault with.”

And before I finish up one more from Arthur Helps:

“If you would be loved as a companion, avoid unnecessary criticism upon those with whom you live.”

The underlying characteristic in those comments is the law of kindness.

She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

~ Proverbs 31:26

We need to choose our words carefully, and scripture lays out some powerful truths on the impact of our words.

A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1

Proverbs 16:24 – Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

Colossians 4:6 – Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

As we take the time to be prayerful with our word choices, I believe you will find, as I have, not very much need to be said.

Psalm 141:3 – Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
keep watch over the door of my lips!

Proverbs 10:19 – In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
But he who restrains his lips is wise.

But what about when there are things that need to be said, how do we respond? A helpful sieve to run our words through is 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

When you need to correct your children, remind yourself love is not irritable. Pause and pray before you respond.

When you disagree with your husband, remind yourself, love is patient. Pray to respond in a way that honors Christ.

When that challenging person in the church comes before you again, remind yourself, love bears all things. Pray and ask the Lord how He desires for you to respond to them. I know for a fact, it is not in a sinful way but in one that reflects words seasoned with grace.

These are the moments where we are to die to self and live to Christ. It is continual tearing down of our selfishness, sinful attitudes and our desires to be heard or be right and to “put on” His desires and His purposes being worked out in our lives.

God uses the interactions of others in our lives to mold us into His image. Every interaction has a purpose and reveals our hearts and areas where we are still a work in progress. Give thanks to God when you see your impatience and irritability or anger. Pray and ask Him to help you to change. It is a grace that we see and are made aware of our sin. When I see these sins in myself, it is an opportunity to repent and seek the Lord’s help to change me.

So, as you gather around the holiday table with family or even at the breakfast table with your children, remind yourself of these truths in God’s Word:

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
Proverbs 31:26

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Romans 13:10

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23

As believers, those who have repented and put their faith in Christ, we now have new hearts. Regeneration should reflect a change in our words. As we fill our hearts with Christ’s love, His love will spill out of our mouths because it’s what’s in our hearts.

May our words show the power of God’s grace in our lives. May they share and tell others of the hope we have within us. The gospel is offensive, but we do not need to be offensive in our words and actions as we present it to others. Let the gospel offend, not us.

Will we allow the love of Christ at work within us to change the atmosphere in our homes? May they be a place where Christ is evident in all of our actions and words.

When love is felt, the message is heard.
Jim Vaus

Related posts:

  1. EP 5: Putting on Kindness in Our Homes
  2. Mrs. Law or Mrs. Grace?
  3. EP 60: Gently Correcting Our Children
  4. She Opens Her Mouth With Wisdom


Free Resource Library

Get more posts like this in your inbox!

And while you’re at it, you’ll receive access to our FREE library of resources to help you in your homemaking!.

(I will not spam you. Read my privacy policy.)

« EP 66: Giving Thanks in All Things
EP 10: Spiritual Priorities for the New Year »
WEEKLY HOME CLEANING SCHEDULE SIDEBAR AD

Welcome to Thankful Homemaker

So thankful you’ve stopped by for a visit. Please grab a cup of coffee or tea and sit a bit. I hope to remind you that contentment in our role as homemakers begins with finding our satisfaction in Christ.

read more…

Ultimate Homemaking Binder Side Bar Ad

Categories

  • Bible Study
  • Christian Living
  • Holidays
  • Homemaking
  • Marriage
  • Menu Planning
  • Motherhood
  • Podcast
  • Time Management

thankfulhomemaker

Marci Ferrell
Patience is our ability, under the control of the Patience is our ability, under the control of the Spirit, to persevere and endure in times of suffering or hardship.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Come listen in (or read) EP 118: Cultivating Patience with One Another at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
By affliction, Christ . . .⁣⁣ shows us our em By affliction, Christ . . .⁣⁣
 shows us our emptiness and weakness,⁣⁣
 draws us to the throne of grace,⁣⁣
 purifies our affections,⁣⁣
 weans us from the world,⁣⁣
 and makes us long for Heaven.⁣⁣
~ J.C. Ryle⁣
⁣
Read more of Trusting God in Your Trials at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
I know we can all relate to self-pity as women, wi I know we can all relate to self-pity as women, wives, and mothers.  How many times do we focus on our needs that aren’t met?  Unfair situations or circumstances?  Self-pity is a selfish tendency that takes our eyes off Christ and puts them on ourselves. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
We forget that “God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” Are we able to give God “thanks in all things”?⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Come listen in to EP 105: Practical Steps to Overcome Self Pity at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)⁣
⁣
#rootedinChrist #rootedintheword #christian #christianity #thankfulhomemaker #bedeeplyrooted  #christianblogger  #christians #treasurechrist #joyinchrist #inchristalone #deeplyrooted #martynlloydjones #selfpity
Grab a free copy of my weekly planner 🥰⁣ ⁣ Grab a free copy of my weekly planner 🥰⁣
⁣
Weekly Menu Planning Free PDF is at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
"God's written Word, the Bible, is God's greatest "God's written Word, the Bible, is God's greatest earthly gift to his people, second only to the living Word, Jesus. And because the living Word perfectly lived out the written Word, we are blessed beyond measure. Jesus fulfilled every precept found in Psalm 119, keeping the principles and commandments of this psalm, and he did so on our behalf.⁣
⁣
Our failure to live wholeheartedly is covered by Jesus, who lived it perfectly for us. Ultimately, he is Psalm 119 in human form, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14)."⁣
⁣
~ Taken from Sing a New Song: A Woman's Guide to the Psalms by Lydia Brownback⁣
⁣
With my whole heart I seek you;⁣
let me not wander from your commandments!⁣
I have stored up your word in my heart,⁣
that I might not sin against you.⁣
~ Psalm 119:10-11
Accept the cost of good deeds in time, thought, an Accept the cost of good deeds in time, thought, and effort. But remember that opportunities for doing good are not interruptions in God’s plan for us, but part of that plan. We always have time to do what God wants us to do.⁣
~ Jerry Bridges, The Practice of Godliness⁣
⁣
Listen in to 10 Things Helping Me to Manage My Days as a Homemaker at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
I’m sharing a walkthrough of various tools and s I’m sharing a walkthrough of various tools and systems that help me to get things done. It’s a practical episode, and I hope to encourage you, if nothing else, to take a look at how your days are going and ask yourself some simple questions like:⁣
⁣
What is working and what is not working?⁣
Where do I find myself wasting time?⁣
Where can I make better use of my time?⁣
Can I simplify my days or various tasks or automate them?⁣
⁣
These are just a few questions to ponder, and there are many more you can ask, but the main one is to seek the Lord and ask him, are you a good steward of your time? Is your desire to honor Him amid your days and in how you spend your time?⁣
⁣
Many more than ten systems or tools help me manage my days, but these items top my list. I’ve shared more in detail on some of these in past blog posts or podcast episodes, but I wanted to put together an episode that walked through how I use each one.⁣
⁣
An episode like this one is more helpful to me than you because it helps me to think through my days and systems and tools and determine what is working for me and what isn’t.⁣
⁣
Listen to 10 Things Helping Me Manage My Days as a Homemaker at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
Who doesn’t want to save money, time, their sani Who doesn’t want to save money, time, their sanity, reduce stress, eat healthy and avoid the dreaded question, “What’s for dinner?” It sounds great, right, and we’d all love to do it, but how do we get there?⁣
⁣
Menu planning is the answer to all those questions above. We have a jam-packed episode today filled with tons of tips, examples, and ideas, so stick with me, and I know there will be something that will appeal to each of you in some way.⁣
⁣
Listen in at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
Though gradually, though no one remembers exactly Though gradually, though no one remembers exactly how it happened, the unthinkable becomes tolerable. And then acceptable. And then legal. And then applaudable.⁣
~ Joni Eareckson Tada⁣
⁣
Come listen to EP 70: Finding Forgiveness After an Abortion at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Access the FREE Library!

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Thankful Homemaker · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy & Disclosure

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email