Really, really honest here

If you have ever talked to me about my blog, you've proably heard me say something like this: "I pride myself on being very honest in displaying the "goings on" in my life. I don't want to display my "dirty laundry" either, that's tacky. But there's a difference between dirty laundry and honesty."

I've chosen the road of honesty. Being real. Being unpretentious.

But believe you me, there's been times when I wanted to write exactly what I really felt about someone or something; to vent. But that's what a journal is for. And if you know me, I don't have much of a filter, but in writing, it's diliberate. It's thought-out. It's chosen. I choose my words. (I'm actually supposed to choose my words when I speak, but that proves more difficult).

This writing thing has been good for me. I get to say exactly what I want without getting interrupted, and it causes me to be more "polite", if you will. I am more likely to say something I'd regret and less likely to publish something I'd regret. Writing notes has even been good for my marriage and how I argue. Everyone argues, it's just a matter of how well you argue that causes you to argue in love. That, I've had to learn over time.

I'm not here to tell you about marriage and how it's supposed to work. Ask me again in about 60 years and then maybe I'll have an answer. And don't even get me started on blogs that seem to have all the answers in an obnoxiously short marriage time frame. Are you kidding me?

I told you that I don't filter. So reeling it in...

I have a point to this post, I promise.

Being the "honest" person I say that I am, I had to put out a little fire yesterday. Without going into too much detail (that would be tacky), I felt my words from my blog were being cheated and plagiarised. Since I'm honest, I'll rephrase that. I was being plagiarised.

First of all, my blog's not that great. Go take The Pioneer Woman's words if you want some good writing. And second of all, it's not your own blog or your own life if you use someone else's words.

I was angry. And as I write in my "about me" (on Cherche), and as it's contrary to Scripture, I am quick to argue. Maybe I'm more quick to anger, but I felt I needed to fix it. And fix it immediately.

So I sent a message and tried to choose my words carefully, a skill I'm having to excercise quite frequently these days. (Usually that means God's telling me I need to work on something).

I wouldn't say my blood was boiling, but I was stirred up. And then I got a big surprise. Maybe I should say I got a gentle one.

She replied. She was so honest. So apologetic, gentle, and admiring of my words. And in her reply, she was also Christian.

That word.

It stirs up so many different emotions in so many people. But the first thing that came to my mind was Proverbs 15:1 which says, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

She was gentle where I was harsh. And if it would have been in reverse, I would have probably been harsh on the other end too. Defensive maybe, much like our society is today. Never being able to stand corrected.

I also came across these verses in Proverbs 15, which she demonstrated yesterday, too.
4 The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
18 A hot tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.
32 Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.

I wanted to write about this on my blog because as I stated in the beginnning, I want to be honest. It was something that happened yesterday, and I felt that I should share it.

But if we're being honest here, I don't think I'm the one that needs to be copied off of. I think I need to be her "copy cat"; follow her gentleness, peace, kindness, goodness, self-control, and love.

Before writing this post, I did not realize this need to copy her actions. It was as I was writing this post that it dawned on me.

I'd say it was a big point for me to grasp. The biggest point of this post. That's what I love about writing.