** Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.. ** Proverbs 4:24
Be careful little mouth what you say.
We all know the Sunday School song. A reminder to watch what we say and how we act.
We’ve talked about our words and their effect on others several times over the past year. Today is just a reminder to start out the year right. It is a challenge to think and pray before we speak. It is a caution to not respond quickly to those who speak to us. It is an encouragement to allow our words to have a positive impact.
Too often our words have nothing to do with what is happening in the moment. They are not about the person in front of us. But they can often be about what is happening behind the scenes in our own lives. Maybe we are fighting with our husband or our child and the person in front of us gets the brunt of that conflict.
Or, digging deeper, we might have some unresolved issues. Maybe we are struggling with a major decision and the frustration of not knowing what to decide can make us dump our frustrations on someone else. Or maybe we have made a chain of little decisions in the past days, weeks or months that have put a wedge in our relationship with the Lord and our current conversations are showing us that something is off.
** For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. ** Matthew 12:34 If we have dark stuff happening on the inside, it is a good bet that the words that we say are going to clue us in to our need for some inner cleansing.
** Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path ** Psalm 119
If we are feeling dark inside, and in need of Light, we all know where to go to get some. But sometimes that darkness makes us blind to the easy answers. We can spend some extra time with the Lord and in His Word. It usually doesn’t take long for the Lord to put a finger on our problem.
For me, 1 Thessalonians 5 is a great quick fix to get my head and heart on straight. Especially verse 18…** In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. ** If we think we are out of the Lord’s will, thankfulness can get us back on track very quickly. If we are feeling sorry for ourselves, thankfulness can give us a healthier perspective and help us to see that our situation isn’t as bad as we are making it out to be. And if we are struggling with some tough decisions, thankfulness is a reminder of all that is good and right in our today and it will clear our minds to make a wiser decision.
So, in 2022, let’s be careful with our words and look for ways to encourage, strengthen and give hope to those who need it. Maybe you have a different way to get back on track, we would all be thrilled to hear it. Because we all know that we would all welcome any help we can get when we are off track.