Get Your Foot Out of Your Mouth

Have you ever been guilty of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time? It's embarrassing, isn't it?

One evening, afte work, a friend and I went to dinner. 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. It would only make my friend feel self-conscious.

My friend and I are open and honest with one another on many levels. However, I need to become 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. Everything was okay I kept telling her.

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:(New Living Translation) came to mind:

"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. From now on I will treat others as I want to be treated when it comes to my conversations with others. 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.

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