trusting God

Dear Lord... Please keep your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth

Sometimes I can take my faith way too seriously and it's quotes like this one that remind me to smile and lighten up a little. I like the idea that authentic faith is about trusting God to stand shoulder to shoulder with me but also asking him to shut me up when my mouth gets ahead of my brain.


I am grateful every day for the faith and trust I have in God - it allows me to believe that there is a bigger picture than the one that I am embroiled in. I tend to get tangled up in all the little ups and downs of life when I should just let them go. My word for 2015 was "release" and when I take the time to remember that word it all comes down to releasing my cares to a higher power. 

The picture in my head of a strong and capable God taking time to stand beside me places my issues in perspective. Time passes and so do most of the things I worry about. Thinking that I have to do it all on my own and that nobody cares only adds to the stress and I really don't need any more stress in my life than is absolutely necessary!

I smile every time I read the "hand over my mouth" part. I think I'm getting better at minding my words and not doling out unasked for advice, but it's nice to think that I can trust God to shut me up at times when my mouth wants to race ahead of me. There is a quote from Rachel Wolchin that I am taking more and more to heart: "Maturing is realizing how many things don't require your comment". I just can't argue with that - the people who I see spouting off on facebook or in conversation about issues that aren't their business just dumbfounds me at times.

Maturing is realizing how many things don't require your comment

I also try to remember the old maxim: "Least said, soonest mended". Sometimes I just want to blurt it all out - looking for validation for how I feel or what I think, and I need to learn that I can wait and often the situation resolves itself without my erudite input. I have friends who are way too enmeshed in their adult children's lives and they overstep the boundaries on a regular basis. It is so important to mind your tongue and keep your opinions to yourself (and to moderate them if they're asked for) to avoid alienating your family.

We all go through rough patches (some of us seem to have more of them than others) and hopefully they teach us more about how to weather the storm and find peace until it passes. It's been a real learning curve for me to realize that I don't need to embroil myself in things that don't really concern me. That I can trust my own opinion but I don't need to share it and I can respect others who have a different take on life. I don't want to be one of those cranky old women that mutter in the background, I want to be a wise woman whose opinion is asked for and respected. I probably still have a way to go before that happens regularly!

This post was part of the #1word challenge - the word for this week was "trust"

13 comments

  1. I, too, have learned with age to bite my tongue and watch what I say. When I was younger, I didn't always have the best filter, but I do thank god that age and wisdom has taught me this same lesson, as well to be honest.

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    1. Exactly Janine - I think it's one of the benefits of maturing - wisdom is a hard earned lesson - but it makes for a more pleasant life if you choose your words carefully :)

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  2. I've learned that more and more since joining FB a year and a half ago. I don't hardly comment on anything and it's always something positive. That old adage "If you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all." comes to mind and what I try to live by.

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    1. I totally agree Rena - there's many a time that I've wanted to make a fb comment and decided to keep my opinions to myself - back to 'least said soonest mended' and we need more people making nice comments in today's world :)

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  3. Not easy to bite our tongues, but I'm doing it more and more as I get older. I agree - I'd like to be the wise old woman whose opinion is asked for and respected. Not the cranky ole' mutterer. That's a great image to keep in mind while we're biting our tongues. I love your post Leanne and thank you for the wonderful reminder. :)

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    1. Thanks Marcia - we will try to be old and wise together. I'm already thinking about ways things could be improved at my new job......but keeping my mouth shut so I don't step on any toes and make myself unpopular! slowly, slowly in this case :)

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  4. I used to suffer from "diarrhea of the mouth" as my husband so nicely put it, but I've gotten much better as I'm getting older. Love the quote about not commenting!

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    1. thanks Lana - so many things to say and so little need!

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  5. I'm a bit the opposite I think. Sometimes, I don't speak up when I really should, so I end up being taken advantage of or having to go along with something I don't like because I never said otherwise. As I get older, I am learning when I should speak up and when I should hold my tongue.

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    1. Hi Lisa - maturing gives us a sense of who we are and a respect for our own opinion - it's good that your voice is getting stronger & you'll be ahead of the line when it comes to knowing when to keep quiet!

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  6. aaah, the tongue is the strongest muscle in the body and it can cut like a knife!

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    1. Exactly Antionette! It's so easy to say something that makes us feel better but hurts others and that's where maturity comes into its own - learning to let things go through to the keeper :)

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  7. I'm almost 50 and still learning to keep quiet when no one asks for my opinion, Leanne! ;)

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Thanks so much for your comment - it's where the connection begins.