I have always been a tad bit sarcastic. I like to throw out quick quips or sassy sayings to people all in fun. When I worked in the ER at Ben Taub I had to "front" people and it wasn't easy at first. It was a really really rough place to work and not only would I get verbally or physically abused by the patients but the family members were even worse. My life was threatened many times and people would say that they would be waiting for us in the garage when our shift was over. It wasn't that I was mean...I was far from it. But my soft spoken voice had to get a little louder and I had to get more confrontational so that they would not run over me. My co-workers didn't think I would make it past my first year. Eventually my sense of sarcasm kicked in and I got pretty good at "setting people straight" but in a nice way. Or if it got really bad; I just called the police that was in the same department and they would escort the person off the property. So you can see how that felt...the power to control whether a person stays on the premises or not. No matter what someone said in the end...I had the best comeback, "Security!".
I had to get out of that environment and after 4 years I finally did. But what I have noticed that on many occasions, when someone is telling me about a confrontation with a family member or a coworker, those quick-witted remarks still pop up in my mind. I would think of what they should have said or could have said to top them. Ha. And to make matters worse; in a shopping situation when a clerk or drive thru employee gives me attitude, I can usually think of something great to say back.
So where’s the victory in all of this? The victory comes when I choose not to let the words out of my mouth. When I lasso the words before they have a chance to run out of the gate. When I offer blessings rather than cursing. When I put on the humility of Christ and take the comments without the retaliation. That, my friend, is choosing to walk in the Spirit instead of choosing to walk in the flesh. It can only happen by the power of the Holy Spirit and becomes easier with practice as well with time. The "internal voices" I used to have hardly make it to my head anymore because I have become intentional about thinking good and the positive in every situation.
"The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity." 2 Corinthians 10:4-6
Adjust that Crown,
Jonna
*This blog is written by Jonna Gibson for "Invisible Crown". You can follow it at Jonna-invisiblecrown.blogspot.com
