Proverbs 31:26 She speaks wise words and teaches others to be kind.

i was looking for a scripture that basically would go with what i am feeling this last week or so. i knew i could find something in Proverbs 31, as i want to be the woman in this passage.

something happened. and then i told the story to someone i think is very wise. and she said she would have handled it differently. she said in some form or another, that she tries to think about whether what she says or does is going to bring someone closer to Jesus. and that lead to all sorts of other thoughts from me. how did i handle the situation? was i wrong? will the person i interacted with be farther from the Lord because of what i said or did? have i made people feel judged or unloved? was i showing off who Jesus is in me?

and then... i went on to think back on my life. and i ended up on my knees asking the Lord for forgiveness. because i can think of a time, an action. a big time in my life where i made a decision, took an action where the consequences were just that: taking people farther from the Lord, and certainly not showing His love and power in my life and not showing the Jesus in me. i was a younger Christian (and human) then. i was still on my way to learning how to slow down and really think before i speak or act. and at the time, i thought i had made the right decision, thought it through. but now, looking back, i realize the consequences are much bigger and last much longer than i ever imagined.

you see, i think what we don't even consider is that people perceive things differently than we do or than we want them to. we might say one thing, but our actions say something different. or we might have a split second to respond to something and we don't do the right thing. for myself, i know i need to slow down, pray, think things through, even if that means telling someone i need a little time to think about it. often, the Holy Spirit will be there to guide me and i will know what the right thing is. i have to open myself up to His speaking to me though. i have to think about the person with whom i am interacting. how will they feel about how i respond to them? what will they perceive as judgment v. love? what is the thing i can do that will show them that i love Jesus and i want to love them like He loves them, and His power gives me the foresight to think about how they feel? it is all about perception. it does not matter if you acted rightly, if that person you are interacting with feels unloved or judged. it is hard to know the right thing to do sometimes. but that is what the Holy Spirit is for. and if i can just let Him help me be wise and show kindness to others, then i am at least learning to be like Jesus in some small way.