Today's thought...

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
Prov 14:23

I am a talker. Any and all who know me can vouch for this. The mere fact that I blog is proof enough that I have found a way to use even more words, due to my vast and deep affinity for doing so. This can be a great thing, as I am easily comfortable in any situation, and able to chat with anyone I encounter about something.

However, it can also be a curse, as I talk too much. I talk to myself. And I do indeed answer myself, which of course makes me completely crazy. I talk my way into problems, believe it or not, when I fail to stop my mouth from the rampant babbling. Definitely, as my friends and family can attest, this has brought its fair share of poverty to me.

But the real test, for me and for many, is whether or not the hard work of putting the mouth to rest can be performed. (I actually thought of stopping mid-sentence here, to see if I could get a laugh.) That kind of work, as I have been learning over the past several years, is not easy. It is just plain hard. But the lessons I have learned through a little quiet and calm are boundless!

A former supervisor of mine taught me, during these quiet moments, how to be a real leader and keep my emotions in check. A friend once taught me more about being a man than anyone else, just by being still and patient. And my wife teaches me more and more every day from the stillness she shows... stillness I should apply. But most of all, I learn from the moments when I find true quiet, and allow God to speak through me without interrupting Him. That ever happen to you?

Take a moment tonight to thank Him for those moments. And then take the time to think of who shows the greatest example of the hard work it takes to be still. It is harder to maintain than anything, in my opinion, and deserves a huge round of quiet, still nodding.

God bless you all!!!