The Conversation

PresbyCan Daily Devotional

Colossians 4:6 – Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. (NLT)
Bonnie and Kayley were at it again. What they were talking about I don't know, but I could hear them plainly, and it was plainly getting on my nerves. My two collies have their own language. All collies, it seems are talkers. When I speak on the phone with a friend of mine, I often hear her collie, Mack, muttering away in the background, letting her know how annoyed he is that she is not paying attention to him. Collie voices have numerous pitches and inflections, rising from soft to loud and low to high, and when they are happy, they are especially vocal and demonstrative. Many a time, I have had to stop what I am doing to address one of their especially rowdy conversations with these words: "Enough, be quiet now!
I wonder whether God ever feels the same way in regard to our conversations. I'm sure that He often has, when it comes to mine. The ability to speak is an incredible gift. Without it, we would have great difficulty successfully manoeuvring within our world. My youngest grandchild was born with a delayed speech issue which made understanding her for the first five years of her life a real challenge. It was also frustrating for her as she knew what she wanted but could not express it in a way that others understood. Yes, speech is important. Even more important, however, is the way in which we conduct our conversations, a point which the apostle Paul revealed in today's Scripture verse.
According to vocabulary.com, "gracious", as an adjective, means to be characterized by kindness and warm courtesy; showing a tender, considerate, and helpful nature. Synonyms include friendly, elegant, refined, and merciful. The word "attractive" is defined as very pleasing in appearance or sound.
In light of these definitions, how do I measure up? How do you measure up when it comes to your daily conversations with others?
May we each take time today to allow the Holy Spirit to examine us in this regard. Then, let us commit to being humble and willing to listen to His guidance as He nudges us throughout the day in regard to any inappropriate speech which seeks to leap from our lips amidst frustration, annoyance, anger, pain, impatience, and the like. By so doing, we can be assured that our conversations will not only be much more pleasing to those around us, but also to our heavenly Father Who knows completely, even before we do, every word that is upon our tongue. "Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord." (Psalm 139:4 NIV)
Prayer: Lord God, may we be humble and quiet before You this day, that we might hear and respond to Your Spirit within, and that our conversations might be pleasing to You. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.