Just Say Something!
by Gloria Copeland
Ken and I both enjoy going out to eat. We do not both enjoy, however, the same kinds of restaurants. Ken likes cafeterias because he’s a big fan of vegetables, and cafeterias have a lot of them. I like to go to places that have different kinds of food, where you order off a menu.
A few years ago, this began to create a problem for me. One day we were getting into the car to go someplace to eat and I found myself feeling annoyed. Oh no, I thought, I know where we’re going. We’re going to end up at the cafeteria again.
I didn’t say it out loud. I just stayed quiet. So, Ken, having no idea what I was thinking, turned and said to me, “Gloria, where do you want to eat?”
“I don’t care. Just anywhere is OK.”
“How about the cafeteria?” he asked.
“That will be OK,” I said.
It is one of Ken’s favorite places to eat. It’s fine, as cafeterias go, but I didn’t really want to eat there. I wanted to go somewhere else, so I sulked in silence all the way to the restaurant.
Have you ever done that? Have you ever gotten unhappy because you didn’t get your way and refused to talk? I don’t recommend it, but that’s what I did.
For a while, Ken didn’t notice. But by the time we sat down to eat, he’d realized something was wrong. “What’s the matter, Gloria?” he said.
“Nothing,” I replied.
He knew that wasn’t right. So, he repeated the question. “What is the matter?”
“I didn’t want to eat here,” I told him.
“Well, why didn’t you say something?” he said.
Given that Ken would have taken me anywhere I wanted to go, it seemed like an obvious question. But it was also quite profound. According to the Bible, what we choose to say or not to say makes all the difference in any situation. It ultimately determines what we have and where we go—not just for dinner, but in life!
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POINTS TO GET YOU THERE:
If you don’t like what’s happening in your life—say something! Continually declare by faith what God has promised you in His Word, and you’ll wind up like Caleb—living in your promised land!
1) Jesus taught us to have faith not only in what God says but also in what we say.
Mark 11:22-23
2) God has given us His Word but we must choose what we’re going to do with it.
Deuteronomy 30:14-15, 19
3) The unbelieving Israelites chose to ignore God’s Word and said they would die in the wilderness, and got what they said.
Numbers 14:28-29
4) Caleb believed and spoke God’s Word and he got to go into the Promised Land.
Numbers 14:24
5) Keep your words in agreement with His Word and you will receive what you say.
Isaiah 55:11
BVOV : 27
