WHATEVER

In past years, the term, "whatever" has had a negative connotation. The Cambridge dictionary defines it as something that, "doesn't matter, is of no importance". As I continue to grow in my Christian walk, the term "whatever", is becoming more and more the way I respond to things, but not in the negative.

As someone who is wired towards emotional responses, I have lived a lot of my life reacting to situations and having a knee jerk reaction. God in His infinite wisdom, saw fit to yoke me with "Mr Logic & Reason"; in our premarital counseling, we discovered how different we are in the spectrum of emotion and logic, on opposite ends in fact! It took many years for us to balance one other out, each bringing a different perspective on life; I don't immediately react to things and Dave has become more sensitive to other people's feelings.

The Message translation of Philippians 4:8, explains this verse beautifully.

"Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies." Philippians 4:8

Some days I am successful in allowing the Holy Spirit to clamp His hand over my mouth giving me time to think twice on how I will respond. On unsuccessful days, my initial reaction is eye rolling and sarcasm. I used to tell our children that "just because you can, doesn't mean you should." This could be applied to many different scenarios, from the clothing you might wear, to the words you speak, to what you post on social media. It is so easy to crush a person's spirit by saying hurtful things. Honesty is important, but so is the delivery of the words you speak. Again, the Message translation from Proverbs, (the book of wisdom), states,

"Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose." Proverbs 18:21

In this journey of sanctification, which is a churchy word meaning to become more and more Christ-like, how fitting that the Holy Spirit gently guides and tames our tongues. Our Pastor back in Texas used to say, "God loves us right where we are but He loves us too much to leave us there." If that isn't the blessed life, then I don't know what is!