Does anyone else have a child who struggles to regulate volume? Our son is either shouting or whispering. Which honestly matches his personality of being on either 100 or 0 and nowhere in between. Over Christmas break, I found myself repeatedly telling him “You don’t have to yell”. I’ve considered that he is possibly deaf. I’ve considered that he thinks I’m deaf. But in all actuality, he is just excited. And his excitement projects out of his mouth.

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“You don’t have to yell.” I felt it in my spirit this morning when I sat down to write. God’s gentle whisper “My work is powerful in and of itself. You can share boldly and confidently without yelling. Without belittling. Without words that are harsh or contemptuous. TRUTH NEEDS NO VIBRATO.”

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There is an old saying about flies and honey that came to mind. You can be “right” all day long but will it matter if nobody is listening? As Christ-followers who want to draw people into the Kingdom, we must find balance. Where speaking the truth isn’t harsh. But kindness doesn’t give a free pass to sin. Where grace and truth collide, life-giving works will be spoken.

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Nothing is more appealing than speaking beautiful, life-giving words. For they release sweetness to our souls and inner healing to our spirits. Proverbs 16:24