Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Winsome




“Let your speech at all times be gracious pleasant and winsome, seasoned as it were with salt, so that you may never be at a loss to know how you ought to answer anyone who puts a question to you”  Colossians 4:6 AMP.  






Hey Everyone!  It has been a while since I have blogged.  Writing and reviewing have been monopolizing most of my time.  But, this tidbit of insight is too good not to share with you. 

As I was doing my morning reading, this verse jumped out.  The word winsome caught my attention. I was uncertain of its definition, so I quickly hit the dictionary app on my phone and looked it up. I love this word!  

But, before I get into it, I must explain why I am touched by the relevance of its meaning. I am notorious for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.  And to add insult to injury, I often speak quickly, interjecting my thoughts without giving pause or listening intently to the end.  I have struggled with this dilemma for as long as I can remember. (Yes, I suffer from foot-in-mouth disease.)   A few decades ago, I begin to diligently pray for God to help me to be “slow to speak.” With His help, I have made progress, but I am far from reaching my goal.  Thank goodness God is patient, if only everyone else would be, ha-ha. 

I am passionate about the Word of God and my relationship with Christ.  Colossians 4:6 gives instructions on how we are to speak to non-Christians, but I believe it should be a standard in all conversations. Let me explain. 

Winsome is defined as “sweetly or innocently charming; winning or engaging.”  Its word origin is joy + sum, or simply put - add some joy.  According to scripture, our speech should ADD JOY to conversations. Selah (Think and consider that for a moment). Our words should be seasoned, adding flavor by sweetening the conversation.

If we conduct our speech graciously and winsomely, we should never be at a loss as to what to say.  Look back at the definition.  Notice the graduated intensity:  from sweet and innocent, to winning and engaging.  We are to win the conversation!  But please be aware, this is not a license to manipulate.  Contrarily, winsome speech is the process of adding joy to each word spoken.  I told you it was good. 

My takeaway is this:  when in doubt add joy.  And when you can’t say anything nice, graciously bow out. Yes, I realize this is easier said than done.  Remember, we are a work in progress. 

Be winsome. 
Cheryl 

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