Water

I catch myself all the time saying things that I wish I could take back.  Maybe not even take back, so much as say in a nicer tone or with a better attitude.  It's like right after it comes out of my mouth, my brain catches up and realizes that I would have been better off not saying it at all.  Anybody else out there with a similar problem?


Needless to say, I know exactly what James is talking about in the third chapter of his book.  He compares the tongue to a bridle on a horse or the rudder of a ship.  Such a small little thing can change the course of someone's day, year, or life.  One little word can send someone on a path of destruction that may be irreversible.  It grates on me and bothers me.  I think about it all the time - mainly because I have so much trouble giving up control of my tongue to the Lord - and I try to figure out ways to stop myself the next time I want to say something dumb.  Sometimes I even think, "What if I were silent?  What if I didn't say anything at all?  That would fix it."


Here's the thing I'm coming to realize more and more every day.


It's not my job to try not to say things.  As a Christian I'm not called to do the taming when it comes to my mouth and the things that I say.  Yes, self control plays a part in helping me, but ultimately taming my own tongue is an impossible task.  I'm inherently sinful.  Trying to tame my own tongue would be like using muddy water to wash dishes - pointless.  God's the one who's working in my heart and in my mouth.  He's the one who shapes me every day more and more into the picture of what He wants me to be.


Now, does that mean I'm off the hook?  I can just go say and do anything I want because God's gonna do all the work?  No.  Not by any means.  I finally realized today that while my job is not to try to tame my own tongue, it is to direct my mouth toward the praise of our Father.  Instead of trying not to say something inappropriate I should spend my energy and effort glorifying God and then I will accomplish both, won't I?


I look at it like this:  You know when you drink chocolate milk how there's that little ring of chocolate left at the bottom?  The problem is, you can't pour that out.  No matter how hard you try, that chocolate isn't going to pour because it's too thick.  However, what happens if I run clean water in that cup?  At first it doesn't look like things are getting any cleaner.  BUT, if I wait long enough and keep running clean water into that cup, eventually the water will wash away all the chocolate from the bottom of the cup and leave a nice, clear cup of tap water.  It's the same thing with our mouths (or even our lives).  They're dirty, and no matter how hard we try we can't get rid of that dirt.  But if we fill our mouths with the praises of God, eventually it will rinse clear and there won't be the dirt anymore.  Will we still make mistakes?  Yes.  Perfection doesn't come for us until heaven.  At the end of each day though, we'll have a better witness for it because we spent our time praising the Name of our God who is greater than all other things and Who is so worthy to be praised.


Be a refreshing flow of clean water today.  You'll be amazed at the results.