Guard Your Tongue (Mom's Bible Theme #2)

I had planned to write about prayer as the second theme from Mom's Bible.  I even started working on it this morning.  A trip to the grocery store changed direction for me...

For the first time since all this COVID-19 madness began, I got everything that was on my grocery list.  I commented about that to my checker.  She was a young lady and we chatted the entire time she was ringing up my purchases.  As I took my receipt from her, she said, "Thank you, I wish everyone was like you."  Her comment made me both happy and sad.

I've read numerous stories about workers being harassed by customers because of the situation we find ourselves in.  Grocery store workers have been targeted repeatedly, surely there is more toilet paper in the back of the store that is being hidden!  An ice cream shop opened for one day and the owner ended up closing it back up.  Customers were cruel and impatient, leaving his best employee in tears. 

I know I am not always kind.  My words have hurt others more than once.  I've also been hurt by words, more times than I want to remember.  Words are powerful.  Underlined in Mom's Bible is Proverbs 18:21, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."  She also underlined Psalm 19:14, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer."  Next to that verse she wrote, "Be careful little mouth..."

As the youngest of four, it was not uncommon in our household for somebody to say something that made someone else mad or hurt their feelings.  When the episode escalated to the point of the hurt party running to Mom, her words to the offender were often: 

If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

While I was looking through my blog for other thoughts on words, I found an old post entitled, "When to Listen and When to Tune Out."  I included a quote from Mom (not found in her Bible, but found in my memory) "Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see."

Ephesians 4:29-32 (also underlined in Mom's Bible) says:
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Here are some of the gems in Mom's Bible about words:

More people have been hurt by a careless tongue than by a sharp sword.

If I can't speak well of others then I need to remain silent.

When you speak, always remember that God is one of your hearers.

Speak and act in harmony with your prayers.

It is in the home we are treated the best and grumble the most.

Our words matter.  When we walk away from someone, what we have said sticks with them.  Will they said, "I wish everyone was like you," or "I hope I never have to talk to them again" ?