“Speech is conveniently located between thought and action, where it often substitutes for both.” (John Andrew Holmes)

Unfortunately, this statement is all too true. And when our mouths lead the charge, we have no choice but to follow. If we could just realize that speech is another form of action, we might have more success in pursuing peace filled relationships.

The thing that should be located between thought and action/speech is pause. If we could retrain ourselves to recognize thoughts for what they are, welcome them into our minds, and then pause while we decide how we want to handle them, our relationships would all change drastically. Today with your kids, practice this discipline. Be slow to speak and quick to pause.