Changing our speech

Towards the end of June our 2 ½ year-old Matthew broke his collarbone by falling on the tile from the dining room booster seat.  He’s had to wear a wrap (ace bandage) around his body and arm, plus not play on playgrounds for 5 weeks.  Matthew had just started summer camp at God’s Little Creations Preschool where they were just going to introduce the bounce house and water activities.  He would have gone three times a week and surely had so much fun playing and learning about Jesus.  They had already started memorizing Psalm 23 to which Matthew was walking around saying the first three verses.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. ² He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. ³ He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

During July Matthew has also gone through other health issues which he is handling incredibly well.  In addition to having to wear the wrap, he had “persistent” Bronchitis requiring breathing treatments three times a day and a bunch of antibiotics, as well as a ruptured ear drum treated by ear drops.  

Should it surprise me that he has been handling these things so well?  He did just learn that the LORD is his Shepard and that he shouldn’t want anything else but to follow after Him.  Maybe Matthew recites in his head, “He restores my soul…” when we pray and believe for his healing. 

Each time we adjust his wrap (which is A LOT) he says “I’m healed, my collarbone is already healed!!”  We praise Jesus and then wrap him again because the doctor said his arm has to stay still.  So our speech changed from saying “Matthew’s broken collarbone” to, “Matthew’s healing collarbone”.

When asked about the wrap, I learned to say “it helps him remember to keep his arm still” instead of “because he’s an active 2 year old” (eyes bulging).  I changed my speech because God spoke to my heart about what Matthew was hearing me say. I was using his age as an excuse for him acting up and having to wear the wrap to help his collarbone heal.  Like it says in 1 Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” We are working on the first time obedience thing.

This experience is teaching me a lot about my speech and where my thoughts need to be.   They need to be about the WORD, the LORD is my Shepherd too. 

Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”