God’s faithfulness is boundless, revealing itself in unexpected ways each day. I’ve certainly seen it through prayer, but I recently gleaned a valuable insight from a pothole.
It’s not just the budding trees and blooming flowers that herald spring in New York City; it’s also the pothole-studded streets. I recently watched a car’s tire vanish into a particularly large one and cringed, imagining the potential damage. On the plus side, it brought to mind a story I’d seen about artist Jim Bachor, who transforms these asphalt craters into mosaics. It struck me that a pothole, a hazard to cars, cyclists, and pedestrians alike, can be transformed into a work of art that inspires and uplifts.
Couldn’t the same be true of our words? How often have I stumbled into verbal potholes, my words causing everything from minor irritation to significant pain? As a self-proclaimed talker aiming to engage my mute button more and listen more intently, I recently learned a helpful acronym in a small study group: WAIT. Why Am I Talking? (I’m even considering a tattoo, but I digress.)
The same group taught me another valuable lesson: what you focus on expands, so direct your attention toward God rather than your fears and worries. This is a daily challenge, but I’ve become much better at recognizing my mental worry-snowballs before they turn into avalanches.
Now I can switch gears (sometimes!), focusing on a few steadying words instead. Just as my thoughts take a more uplifting path when I turn them toward God and toward what I know to be good and true, so too do my words.
It’s as if my brain is a road, and life’s wear and tear creates potholes of anxiety and fear, leading to negative internal chatter and less-than-uplifting speech. I have the power to choose whether to let those mental potholes deepen or to fill them with something beautiful.