Oops! I Did It Again!

The older I am getting, the more I have to watch what I say. Words will literally pop out of my mouth like a Jack-in-the-Box when I least expect it. I wonder “Where did that come from?” That whole “think before you speak” quote seems to often be null and void in my life. It’s too late to retract them. I said them. They are out there now and perhaps causing someone to think less of themselves AND me. Lord, please put a gate with a lock over my mouth and only open it when You know my words will be sweet and uplifting. Psalm 141:3 “Set a guard over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.”

I wonder. Is it because I pay too much attention to social media where the swords have come out and we wonder if they’ll ever be put back in their sheath. By this I mean the cutting statements in Facebook rants, the attack-dog tweets, the opinions launched like grenades at the other side. It’s tempting to run from it all and hide. Or to enter the battle with even bigger bombs. Go nuclear!

But I want neither. I want my “Good Ship Lollipop” days back again. My peers will remember the adorable Shirley Temple singing those lyrics: "On the Good Ship Lollipop. It's a sweet trip to a candy shop. Where bon-bons play. On the sunny beach of Peppermint Bay." Oh I know that’s “Fantasy Island” (oh me, I’m being held captive in my memories library!)

But, the reality is we tend to soak up the world’s way-of-thinking like a sponge, and, little-by-little, if we let it, we start taking on the characteristics of those we really do abhor (not the people, for goodness sake, we are people-lovers or so we say when we declare: “We love the Lord with all our hearts and we love our neighbors as we love ourselves).

We see the problems — the issues and the differing opinions, the my-way and their-way, the divides between us. And we think what will make it all better is to fix it all and fix them all. So we focus on the politics, the rancor, the public opinions, Hollywood, the other side of the aisle speakers, and then we slam the door on our way out. We type in all caps and put exclamation points at the end. But, then I hear Jesus still saying: “Love one another” (John 13:34). What if we “fixed” all the problems and looked behind us and saw a war zone scattered with the wounded and the dying? What if I fight so hard and I win, but I am the only one to survive? Is that really a victory?

When we unsheathe our swords, may we use them to fight the real enemy (which is not each other or any human). We really are on the same side. We are part of the same family. Yes, we will and sometimes must disagree. But may we be the ones who stand out. May we “be completely humble and gentle; patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2)

The enemy of our souls is after mass casualties in the Kingdom of God. He wants us to turn on each other and do his work for him. For goodness sake -- let’s not allow this to happen.

I started this blog by admitting my own desire to watch my words. The truth of the matter is our words are not dull butter knives or plastic light sabers swung in the backyard. They are real weapons. We can use them to wound. Or we can fight the darkness together. I choose the latter. I want my words to be so powerful that the enemy and his helpers run in terror when my mouth gate is unlocked and I speak words of life. You, too?

Our Christmas Fire

I’m sitting in front of this contained and beautiful fireplace as I post this blog today. I was reading this scripture a couple of days ago: “Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!” (James 3:5) It refers to the damage that our tongues can cause – words that escape from our tongues that seem so incidental but can cause major damage if they’re not kept in check.

Reading that meaning caused me to remember “a little fire that kindled” in one of our Christmases long ago. We were new homeowners at last after paying a whopping $7,500 for our little fixer-upper home. that we turned into our “love nest”. Our children were ages three and one. My 22-year-old husband loved adding ambiance to the atmosphere with candlelight. This day, with the small, decorative kerosene lantern that he lit earlier, decided to light a nearby candle from the fire of the lantern, tipping it ever so slightly to light the candle. The candle was lit, but some of the kerosene poured out and a fire erupted. He dropped the lantern filled with kerosene and the fire blazed to our carpet. His quick thinking to stamp it out helped, but still, our carpet was scorched. Now we had to find carpet to match the huge spot that was burned to replace that scorched spot.

You can imagine my husband’s angst that he was so “stupid and careless” (his words, not mine). It was such a small lantern, but given the right set-of-circumstances, it sure produced big problems. As I type this, I couldn’t help but think of the recent small campfire that became the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in California history.

It’s tempting to think about how we use our tongues is no big deal. Our words may not appear to do much damage, so we aren’t more careful. We know that “the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10) so keeping guard of our words will certainly keep us from setting our words ablaze.

I pay close attention to my vehicle’s indicators to change the oil, put air in the tires, etc. Keeping an eye on the indicators that could set us up for a “fire” from our tongues is critically important in preventing a “forest fire”. Trust me. This is the voice (rather, tongue) of experience sharing this. Keeping a fire extinguisher on hand is a good idea, but never having to use it is even better.

I’m reminded today that our words have power. The power to heal and the power to hurt. Words are no small thing. A Sunday School song we sang as kids was “Be careful little mouth what you say!” May we all be careful with our words -- choosing blessing over cursing; helping over hurting; waiting rather than rushing the wrong words out into the world.

At this beautiful time of the year, there may be situations that create opportunities to "let 'er rip" and get careless with our words even in innocent conversations and situations. May our words bring “Joy to the World” as the light of Christ shines in AND out of us!

Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”