Lately this sentence has been running through

my brain: language matters.

The words we choose to speak really make a

difference. They can calm rough waters or cause an earthquake. They can foster safety or create hostility. Joy or sadness. Hope or death. Freedom or imprisonment.

It would be an understatement to say I am sometimes a drama queen.  For some reason I get overwhelmed very quickly. Maybe it's because I am an "Achiever/Introvert" - driven to succeed but drained easily in social situations. I swirl down in a funnel of to-do's and responsibilities. I frequently feel like I'm drowning in a sea of worries. If my sense of order is disrupted, I panic. (Anyone else?)

And it's here where my language begins to flip from joy-filled to doomsday. 

In Psalm 28:7 David writes, “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.”

What a great reminder that nothing is too big for God. God is my shield. God is my strength. I will trust God. I am helped by God. I am not alone in this. God is with me.

This month is particularly overwhelming for me. But I am choosing in this moment to let God be my strength and my shield. I am choosing to trust God. It will be a daily recommitting to God and rediscovering joy. 

Let the words of my mouth be pleasing to You, God. Amen.