sweet as a honeycomb, sharp as a double-edged sword

"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." --Proverbs 16:24

This post isn't going to be easy for me - it's raw and not pretty - but I do want you all to know that it is coming from the most truthful and gentle part of my heart.   

After being initiated into Phi Lamb, it was second nature to make sure that anything I post wasn't inappropriate... and I guess I sort of lost that mentality once I graduated.  The picture below changed it all.  I was planning on having a great night with my roommates, partying it up to celebrate coming back from Christmas break, and we decided to "finish off" the the rest of the alcohol that had accumulated in our freezer.  After about an hour's worth of taking shots and making mixed drinks, I blacked out.  According to my roommates, I had at least fifteen shots, and half of them were doubles.  I don't remember taking this picture, but I do remember getting sick afterwords.  I remember feeling awful and disgusting, and wanting to rewind the clock, but I couldn't.  Praise Jesus, literally, that medical help wasn't necessary.   

 

After all of this, I remember a friend of mine called me a hypocrite Christian while I posted a picture of me inebriated.  Here I am, professing God's truth with bible verses and trying to walk the tight-rope of humble yet high and mighty, and there are pictures of me that would scream differently.  I know I'm not perfect; like my father said, "perception is reality". 

A couple of days ago, a friend of mine pointed out that I had said something work related on a social media site that may have been interpreted in the wrong light.  I'm not going to get into the hairy details, but it wasn't my proudest moment. I was speaking with a mom about her child's progress, and she asked me a very blunt question about her child having to continue speech.  She was very abrasive and twisted my words for her own advantage.  Lesson learned: be careful of what you say to a parent, and stand your ground.  One parent yesterday went straight into "mom" mode and became a little snappy.  It didn't offend me, she was just trying to assure me that canceling was perfectly fine.  Immediately after, she called me back and apologized for her attitude.  Lesson learned: kill them with genuine kindness and forgive.  

What we say, our actions, how we dress, how to carry ourselves, how we respond to stressful situations, it all effects someone's perception, whether good or bad.  Don't allow others to influence you, rather be an example.  Stand your ground with your faith.  Don't let others convince you otherwise.