The one downfall to roses are their thorns. Roses are beautiful, but if not careful, you can prick yourself with a nasty thorn while admiring their beauty. If you have ever been pricked by a thorn, you know that the pain lasts the whole day, and sometimes even a couple of days thereafter. Roses are beautiful, but the thorns they carry distract from their beauty.
Just like thorns poke and prod, we can poke and prod upon other people. If we aren't careful, the thorns spoken of here can be compared to our misspoken, angry, and hurtful words that we most often prick our closest family and friends with. Although they know our real beauty so to speak, the hurtful things we do or say distract from those qualities and can create a semi-lasting, negative impact throughout the day or week or month.
How do we combat the thorns of our roses?
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." (Psalm 19:14 ESV)
When you are feeling the pressure on your shoulders, when people seem to be getting on your last nerves, when you're overtired and just want to lash out at the first person you see, pray that prayer. Think about what God would want you to do. If you're not careful, the words of your mouth can stab someone straight in the heart, whether you meant what you said or not. Are the words you utter so important that they cost you a relationship? Before you say something you shouldn't, think of your words as thorns. By themselves they don't harm anyone, but as soon as they touch others they have the potential to cause some damage.
Sometimes we are just a little too late. We might slip something out of our mouths and regret it as soon as it leaves our lips. If this is the case, which most often it is for everyone including myself, confront it as soon as you label it as sin. First, confess it to God.
1John 1:9 " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness"
But it doesn't stop there. Confront the person you did wrong to. It takes a lot of humbling, and it is definitely one of, if not the hardest things we could ever do. But it can sometimes be the difference between saving a relationship or letting it gradually be destroyed. After you ask for forgiveness, a weight will be lifted off your shoulders. If it's hard to come straight out and ask for forgiveness, maybe start off by being honest and letting them know you've had a rough day and that you are sorry for your words. Make sure, however, that you are careful not to use your troubles as an excuse for your actions. Although you have had a bad day, others have as well, and therefore a bad day doesn't equal an excuse to lash out in anger at others. However, confessing your problems along with asking for forgiveness is a good start at getting used to confessing your sins to the people you've sinned against. Eventually, asking for forgiveness will come naturally and will bring you closer go God then ever before, and closer to others.
"Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body" Proverbs 16:24
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