Toxicity: relates to poison, it means to be poisonous. Introduction of poison directly or indirectly makes human life vulnerable. Food poisoning sometimes is a result of mishandling of food - unintentional harm.
Our mouths through our speech or conversation, looks and body language could be toxic!
James 1:19-21 The Message: "Post this at all... the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage.
In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life".
There is also systemic poisoning which comes from retention of items; some of these items were meant for hygiene purposes for starters. What am I getting at? There are times we start out meaning well but our intentions get polluted and become toxic. How often do we exhibit toxicity in our relationships? Relationship here is not limited to marital, but every other form of relationship we form as sibling, friend, child, spouse, in-law, brethren etc. A question that the Lord had laid on my mind a couple of days ago since He dropped this topic in my heart is: "what way do I bring poison or toxicity to my relationships"? I mentioned retention earlier, unforgiveness is like cancer that blinds and hinders progress in everyway, spring up unwanted cells everywhere to the detriment of normal cell growth. Holding grudges and refusing to let go of hurts.
The following also bring toxicity to our relationships:
=>Fault finding: ability to always identify what is wrong or defective in others.
=>Unhealthy rivalry: competing with others for what God is doing in their lives, it has an element of jealousy, envy and unnecessary competition.
=>Discounting what others are doing maybe because you are unable to do same, discounting what others are doing with sayings such as; "who can't do that", what is the big deal? especially laudable ideas. =>Inability to celebrate the good in others or complement them. Has your friend just been promoted at work? Are you happy or do you make her feel bad everytime by reminding her that "since your level has changed you barely have time for us" and such statements that puts the other on the defensive.?
Have you ever noticed something beautiful on someone else before? Are you always comparing yourself with others, perhaps the size of your friend's TV must not be bigger than yours... As good as competition is, there is a limit to it otherwise it becomes unhealthy! Do you compete with friends, spouse etc to the point of frustrating their plans inorder to be seen or heard? Do you go out of your way to do things just for people to complement you? If you do not get the desired complements, then everyone around you is in trouble!
Toxicity is not limited to the avenue through which it is introduced, it goes systemic, all over the body and takes over the proper functioning of the human system! The mirror is on you and I this morning, not on the other person who does this same thing! In what ways am I toxic in my relationships? I have asked myself and am still asking and would encourage you to do same... Funny enough, this is not a topic you identify in the life of someone else... it is self check. You know areas you smile outwardly and say "it is well" while your heart presents a dagger!
God expects us to come out clean unto him about our weaknesses and shortcomings for we have access to the blood that cleanses. 1 John 1:8-9 The Message: "If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing". We all need to deal with every toxicity in our relationships.
Have a poison free weekend!
Our mouths through our speech or conversation, looks and body language could be toxic!
James 1:19-21 The Message: "Post this at all... the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage.
In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life".
There is also systemic poisoning which comes from retention of items; some of these items were meant for hygiene purposes for starters. What am I getting at? There are times we start out meaning well but our intentions get polluted and become toxic. How often do we exhibit toxicity in our relationships? Relationship here is not limited to marital, but every other form of relationship we form as sibling, friend, child, spouse, in-law, brethren etc. A question that the Lord had laid on my mind a couple of days ago since He dropped this topic in my heart is: "what way do I bring poison or toxicity to my relationships"? I mentioned retention earlier, unforgiveness is like cancer that blinds and hinders progress in everyway, spring up unwanted cells everywhere to the detriment of normal cell growth. Holding grudges and refusing to let go of hurts.
The following also bring toxicity to our relationships:
=>Fault finding: ability to always identify what is wrong or defective in others.
=>Unhealthy rivalry: competing with others for what God is doing in their lives, it has an element of jealousy, envy and unnecessary competition.
=>Discounting what others are doing maybe because you are unable to do same, discounting what others are doing with sayings such as; "who can't do that", what is the big deal? especially laudable ideas. =>Inability to celebrate the good in others or complement them. Has your friend just been promoted at work? Are you happy or do you make her feel bad everytime by reminding her that "since your level has changed you barely have time for us" and such statements that puts the other on the defensive.?
Have you ever noticed something beautiful on someone else before? Are you always comparing yourself with others, perhaps the size of your friend's TV must not be bigger than yours... As good as competition is, there is a limit to it otherwise it becomes unhealthy! Do you compete with friends, spouse etc to the point of frustrating their plans inorder to be seen or heard? Do you go out of your way to do things just for people to complement you? If you do not get the desired complements, then everyone around you is in trouble!
Toxicity is not limited to the avenue through which it is introduced, it goes systemic, all over the body and takes over the proper functioning of the human system! The mirror is on you and I this morning, not on the other person who does this same thing! In what ways am I toxic in my relationships? I have asked myself and am still asking and would encourage you to do same... Funny enough, this is not a topic you identify in the life of someone else... it is self check. You know areas you smile outwardly and say "it is well" while your heart presents a dagger!
God expects us to come out clean unto him about our weaknesses and shortcomings for we have access to the blood that cleanses. 1 John 1:8-9 The Message: "If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing". We all need to deal with every toxicity in our relationships.
Have a poison free weekend!
No comments:
Post a Comment