word of mouth
“All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
”With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” James 3:7-10
“For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” Matthew 12:34
My Abba,
When muck fills my heart, it eventually finds a way out of my mouth. No matter how hard I try, I cannot build a fail-safe dam to barricade the mudslide.
My lips are more prone to damage others (or me) amidst the aftershocks of pain and loss. Immediate regret throttles me the moment I speak words that are injurious, critical, or less than encouraging. But it is too late. I can’t un-speak them.
My mouth is like a passionate journalist attempting to tell the story of my internal landscape – the condition of my heart and mind. My heart just wants relief from pain, but my words can be biased, inaccurate and damaging.
Reports are swayed by my sin nature, desires, emotions, wounded places, hopes and dreams. My words can uncover jealousy, unforgiveness, greed and a host of other undesirables lurking in the shadows of my soul. If I ever get to feeling like I have it all together, my mouth will inevitably knock my pride into the cheap seats.
My tongue cannot be trusted to faithfully contribute to my spiritual façade. Nothing like an untamed tongue to ruin your shiny, Sunday-best impression! I think I am actually coming to accept this reality as a good thing. Pretending I am picture perfect is exhausting.
The reality of my out-of-control tongue kindles my desire for a heart that is being daily renewed by you. For my speech to be life-giving, I desperately need your love to wash away the damaging debris of my sin.
Please continue to grow and heal my heart, so I won’t need to be so invested in constantly trying to monitor my mouth. Fill my heart with your presence until it overflows, and my mouth brings only blessing to those around me.
I love you,
Mollie
My child,
Another way to look at your mouth is like a meteorologist reporting on the state of the weather. A weather expert does not create the weather conditions. He or she merely attempts to speak accurately about what is happening in the atmosphere.
What drives your speech doesn’t originate with your tongue, or even your mind. Your feral tongue only reflects on what is transpiring in your heart. No sentry fueled by your best intentions is skillful enough to guard your lips 24/7.
If your heart is not surrendered to me, your mouth can poison relationships, hearts, minds, reputations, credibility, and trust. If you want to speak to others only in life-giving ways, practice faithfully bringing your heart to me on a moment-to-moment basis.
Heart transformation brings speech transformation.
The mouth you use to praise me should not utter poisonous words. Don’t demean those made in my likeness. Speak life, grace, truth and love to them and about them.
You write and speak a lot of words. Words are powerful. I want you to use them wisely and strategically. I can cultivate the ground of your heart making it tender to my Spirit. Then, the way you speak and live can rise as a song of praise to me and a compelling invitation for others to connect with me.
I love you,
Abba
photo: yarruta