Set a Guard Over My Lips

Last weekend I went to a ladies' tea at a local church with the theme "Silver Boxes."

The idea was based on a poem by Michael Bright, which includes this stanza:

"Lord, help my words be silver boxes,
Neatly wrapped up with a bow;
That I give to all so freely,
As through each day I gladly go."

(image from http://www.freedigitalphotos.net)

They gave us each a lovely little silver box with the following verse in it:

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29 TNIV

Of course all the ladies at the tea, dressed in their best clothes and happily munching little hors d'oeuvres and salads, agreed that this was very true. We should always speak with kindness to others. Yes indeed.

A few minutes later I saw one of the women at my table fighting back tears over something another woman had said to her.

What a shame, I thought, shaking my head. That lady should have remembered about the Bible verse in the silver box in front of her and known not to speak so harshly.

Then the speaker came up and told us about how she had learned to use words of forgiveness and love after her ex-husband had left her for an old girlfriend.

Her story broke my heart, especially when she said he'd told her after over twenty years of marriage, "I never loved you like I love her." Those were words that had to have cut deeply.

Again I thought of how powerful words can be, and the fact that we should use them carefully.

As the speaker finished her talk, I found myself still thinking about her ex-husband, forgiven by his saint of a wife and traipsing off happily into the sunset with his old girlfriend. "That dog," I muttered angrily to my friend. "I hope he feels guilty. I hope the old girlfriend turns out to be an awful harpy and he regrets leaving his wife. I hope he's sorry now that he's made his bed and has to lie in it." My friend nodded in agreement.

Then I looked down and caught sight of my own silver box, sitting placidly in front of me. "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth," it reminded me. Oh yeah, I thought. Why can't I remember to do that? It seemed none of us could go five minutes without saying something we regret.

I thought of James 3:7-10:

^"7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, ⁸ but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. ¹⁰ And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! "

This is the truth, folks. We all sin with the things we say. And we keep doing it!

Forgive us, Lord.

My prayer is that the Lord will help me remember to think before I speak.

Let us all pray with King David in Psalm 141:3:

"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips."

(image from http://www.quoteswave.com)