Ecclesiastes 7:19-23 ERV – “Surely there is no one on earth who always does good and never sins. But wisdom can make one person stronger than ten leaders in a city. [21] Don’t listen to everything people say. You might hear your own servant saying bad things about you. [22] And you know that many times you too have said bad things about other people. [23a] I used my wisdom and thought about all these things.”
In the mid 1500’s, this term was coined, “thick-skinned” originated in English in the mid-1500s. It’s an idiom that describes someone who is able to withstand criticism or insult without becoming upset or offended. The term is a compound of the adjectives “thick” and “skinned”.
We live in a world where some people don’t know how to say a thing to you! Has anyone ever said harsh things to you and made you want to cry or fight? Did you use wisdom before you said it? Now have you ever said the wrong thing at the wrong time? And you ignore all the filters and cues to not say that thing that would hurt, offend, and or tear a person down. You just commence to say and do whatever you wanted. And then you will say, it wasn’t intentional, it just comes out. And then you proceed to say this, “they just need some thick skin, toughen up.” Well just like you don’t like being on the other side of this, no one else does either. So, stop saying that others should have thick skin, when you don’t want to be spoken of badly or spoken to rough.
As I pondered on today’s scripture, it made me think about how often I have heard someone saying a thing about me, and that I need to be tougher; and this is the part, what did I say or think about them after hearing what they had said? Can I be transparent for a moment and tell you something, I didn’t always think something nice, when I knew someone was speaking badly about me, or if they said something harsh and they just wanted me to take it and get over it; well, it’s not always that easy or black and white. Somethings people say are just plain cruel! But God! God says, “Don’t listen to them.” Stop listening to what everyone is saying and start listening to God!
If you would be honest with yourself for a moment, you would remember that you have been guilty before of chosen poor words or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time! We all have been there, but now that you have surrendered and submitted to God, He can submerge you in and under the Anointing of the Holy Spirit and your speech will be seasoned. You see in the book of James, it says “that no man came tame the tongue” but that doesn’t give you the right of way to speak and say anything that you want, filter free!
The Bible says a lot about your the tongue and your words. You do know that you are going to have to give an account for every idle word that you have spoken, Matthew 12:36! I believe that while you will never tame your tongue, you can learn to control it and use it for good and not evil. You have a choice in the words that you choose to use each and every day! Stop speaking out in the heat of the moment and feeling like you can say anything that you want, and you don’t care who is on the other end of that conversation. And you do it and say that you prayed about that. Now, I want you to weigh every word you spoke to what and how the Bible says you should speak and see if what you said line up with it; if it does good, but if it doesn’t, you need to repent and apologize! Plain and Simple!
It takes only a second to say those words, but it takes a lifetime to forget them. (If you have done that repent to God and ask Him to forgive you and then, if possible, ask that person that you hurt to forgive you and please forgive yourself.) Because once those words leave your mouth, they can never put them back in. “Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.” Proverbs 21:23. This is why it is important, that you choose your words wisely. Proverbs 3:5-6! Ask God for wisdom on how to answer and what to ask.
I want you to develop a resilience spirit in the face of criticism or challenges, and I want you to have a heart pure and full of compassion. Don’t get on their level, rise above it knowing that vengeance is The Lord’s, every time you sow a kind word to someone who sowed a harsh word to you, it is heaping coals of fire upon their heads and God is going to reward you because you thought, said and did the right thing, the way God would do it. Proverbs 25:21-22! You can always ask yourself WWJD, (What would Jesus Do) and He will give you the answer!
Ask God to give you a heart of compassion for those who don’t speak well to you and of you. Draw your strength from Jesus Christ who set the greatest example before you. He showed you how to endure hardship while remaining focused on love and forgiveness; and, learning how to let things roll off your back, without letting the negativity harden your heart. “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”
Let’s Pray:
Father Thank You! Father, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties, and see if there is any wicked way in me [NLT: ‘point out anything in me that offends You’]. Lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalms 139:23-24). Father, help me to examine myself, to be aware and to be humble with ourselves. Father, help me to stay close to You and Your Will in prayer and by meditating on the Word of God as I read my Bible. Father, help me to guard my heart daily, that I may be active and in a constant state love in my daily life.” Father, help me, ask You for thick skin and a big heart. Have mercy on me when I am too sensitive, too easily offended, or too quick to hold grudges. Father, give me thick skin and a soft heart, especially when my natural impulses are to flare up under pressure. Free me to do the right thing in the moment and show me how to make peace with everyone that I come into contact with today. For Your Glory!
Blessings…
Love, Minister Jean
