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Have you ever "put your foot in your mouth?" For those of you not familiar with English slang this means saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.
A friend and I went to dinner at a buffet after work. We finished our main entree and decided to grab some dessert. As we made our way to the dessert table I began to say something about my friend's appearance but stopped short. We would be going home soon so there was no need, I told myself. And, I figured, it would only make my friend self-conscious.
My friend and I are open and honest with one another on many levels. However, the Lord is dealing with me about being more sensitive. So, I decided not to finish my sentence because I believed my words would have been upsetting.
But my friend became upset anyway because I wouldn't finish what I started to say. She asked if anything was wrong with her clothes. There was nothing wrong with her clothes and I told her so. She kept pressing at me but I kept assuring her there was no big deal. And, in truth, there wasn't. Besides, at that point I felt uncomfortable about making the comment. So, I kept assuring her that everything was okay.
Still, there was tension between us on the way home. I broke the ice by chatting about a few things and that seemed to help. When we said goodnight we seemed to part on good terms and I only pray that those moments of awkwardness are totally forgotten.
Before going to bed that night I thought about my big mouth and James 3:6 (New Living Translation) came back to my memory:
"And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself."
James sure got that one right! Our mouths have the potential to get us into big trouble. Mine nearly did and these passages of scripture have become part of my daily prayers:
"May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer" (Psalm 19:14, New Living Translation).
"Take control of what I say, O Lord, and keep my lips sealed" (Psalm 141:3, New Living Translation).
I've made another decision. When speaking with others I will apply the Golden Rule, treating others as I want to be treated. I've already started and I find myself being much more sensitive -- thinking twice about some statements before actually saying them. I hope you join me.
Karin Peavy uses her pen to help change lives. She is the author of Hot Chocolate For the Spirit, a new Bible devotional that is chock full of scripture keys that will help you live your best now. Karin also publishes a weekly ezine that reveals the many ways God is moving in your life, sometimes behind the scenes, and perhaps in ways you never imagined. Visit http://www.karinpeavy.com to discover more Bible study resources.
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