Ever have one of those days when you wish the Lord had put duct tape on your mouth?
I don't have a "potty" mouth, my dear sweet mom made sure of that in my growing up years. I am not one who starts the "gossip" when it runs wild... I'm not usually a big complainer, well except at home, anyway! I usually mind my own business. Usually.
But then there are certain people put in our lives, that both the devil and the Lord use for testing purposes. They might be the sweetest individuals on the planet, but they can test the patience of a saint or Job himself. Whether they are "Ms. Busybody," "Mr. Testy" or "Mrs. Rude," they can stir the pot thick. The test is whether "I" decide to "simmer" and let things go OR whether I hold it all in until I BOIL over!
Does anyone out there understand what I am talking about? Please tell me I am not the only one!!!
Anyway, today wasn't "a lose my cool" day, but rather "I just wish I would have kept my mouth shut" day. I didn't do anything extremely wrong in any one's eyes, yet I had a guilty heart, later when I got home. Why couldn't I have just been quiet? Why did I have to add my two cents about a certain situation? I don't want to be labeled later as a possible complainer or even a troublemaker? Did I solve anything by speaking my mind? What kind of impression did I leave with others?
Of course as I was thinking this all through, I was convicted on so many levels. What about the situation where I "snapped" the other day and yelled at my daughter. Yeah, I can get loud. What about the other day when I came upon a conversation about someone, why didn't I walk away or shut it down? I guess I did gossip didn't I? What about the unkind thoughts I had, while waiting in the checkout line...fortunately I didn't say them out loud, but my heart was full of rudeness. Doesn't make it any less of a sin, does it?
The mouth can be a mighty tool for the Lord, but at the same time it can be our Achilles heel.
There are plenty of great verses in God's word on the mouth and tongue. Two, that always leave me thinking about my own tongue and the words I speak are:
"The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark." James 3:5
"For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks..." Matthew 12:34
I especially love the verse in Matthew, for I would love to think that the words that flow out of my mouth are from a beautiful heart...
I guess as I am rambling on today, I hope to gain encouragement to try to do better and ask God for His "duct tape" every once in a while. Because honestly, I do need a lot of help in this area sometimes.
I pray that if you share my concerns, that God will send a little duct tape your way too.
17 comments:
I am thankful GOD allows us the opportunity to begin anew. Each of us have those days and we instantly know when we said the wrong thing. Pick yourself up, ask GODs forgiveness and if necessary others, dust yourself off and start over. Lesson Learned! No time to waste fretting over it. GOD has much more to do in our lives. He is busy using us. Don't let satan use this one incident to discourage you. Get up and get back in the game.
Much love, hugs, and prayers, andrea
Hi Mich, I sometimes will ask friends if they were in my position what would they have done, was I being too petty, too angry or shouldn't been angry at all. I hate myself for being that way, but don't I have some right to be so at some point. Oh I don't know too, but one thing I know, it eats into you, and probably will cause you to have an ulcer.
God Bless us all
I was in Michael's Craft Store today and they had all kinds of colorful duct tape at the front of the store for costumes. Maybe that was my que to pray and I missed it! :)
You are not alone.
Those are the "Sandpaper People" Mary Sutherland writes about. God uses them to help us to love better. And I am sure I am a Sandpaper Person to some as well.
Here's my favorite verse about duct taping our mouths:
Proverbs 10:19
When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.
Less words are better. :)
So, what's your favorite color? I am getting the purple duct tape for myself. :)
Pass the duct tape over this way. I need to think before I speak oh so often. Just silly stuff that could have gone unsaid...but it spilled from me. Thank you Lord for your forgiveness and your patience with me.
You did nothing wrong truthfully. There are times when God does give us the wisdom to speak up. There are circumstances where we should speak up. Yet again there other times when we should just Bite our tounges and quench our lips tightly. Lol.
Dont guilt yourself with all the questions, Did I?, Shoud I of? Was I wrong or right and so forth. That is not for any of us to do. We should give it to the Lord and let him decifer whether we were wrong or right, to hard or should of shut our mouth. Sometimes there is a time to speak up and their may be a reason as to why. We may not understand but he does, he allows things to happen for a purpose.
As for a label. You should not worry about a label. If people label you that is their wrong doing and they will answer for that someday. You should only worry about the things the Lord leads you to worry about and non other.
Whether it was wrong or right does not matter. God is a forgiving God non the less and he loves you so much. He created us and he knows us to a T and we are not perfect, he knows this. All we work out according to his plans and purposes. Have a great evening.
We have all done it before, but praise God you were sensitive enough to know what you did. We all have times when we need to think more and speak less. UG! Thanks for being so transparent!
Sitka has an award for you at All God's Creatures.
I feel ou pin girls :) I know exactly what you mean
OUCH!
I feel your pain because I am guilty of the same things. Thanks for the reminder.
Pass the duct tape my way....I open my mouth way.too.much.
I've been memorizing lots of verses this year that pertain to my mouth : ) It is helping. One in particular...
'Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer.'
this one helps me catch the words in my heart before they leave my mouth...most of the time anyway. I'm a work in process.
Conviction stings the heart. I am suuuuch a slow learner on this one. I think, too...if you happen to be highly verbal in your wiring, the words tend to really need reigning in b/c they often come so quickly. Don't ask me how I know this. Blessings.
Love your brutal honesty here.....keeps you the real gal I love!
Yeah, I need a roll or two of that duct tape with the way I like to blab.
Mich,
Perhaps once that guilty feeling begins to creep in, you offer a prayer of forgiveness to God and then attempt to make an apology if you can. The quicker we respond, the better over all we can feel.
Love and Hugs ~ Kat
There have been so many situations where I could have written this very post! I love the last thoughts you had on this and the verses. The tongue is a wicked thing indeed sometimes~even if the only person who realizes it is ourselves.
Oh yea, I feel ya, Mich!!! I get it!
There are so many lovely, wonderful, caring people in our church family --- yet there are those few that just seem to stab little jabs and enjoy hurting people and oh my goodness, bridling my tongue is hard. Sometimes I want to use the 'rod' on them...... but I know my USE for God's rod and staff is for comfort to me, not for discipline to others.... well, other than my kids. Ha!
Anyway, I feel ya. Hang in there! At least you CARE and the Holy Spirit convicts. All too many don't care and don't listen to the Holy Spirit in their lives!
I know what you mean, Mich; it is so easy to get stirred up about what we hear and see around us. I have to keep my mouth shut and let God quiet my spirit. It is a daily battle. I fail too many times, but isn't if wonderful that God is so forgiving?
So...would you please pass the duct tape?
♥Hope
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