Shut My Mouth

"but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8, ESV).

I spent the past weekend at the baseball park. Living in West Texas, strong winds occasionally blow. Wind alone may not be so bad, but the barren lands of the West has nothing but dust. So with the gusts, comes the dirt.

While watching the games, I desired to chat with other team mom's. Yet, it seemed as though every time I wanted to speak, a blast of wind came along with the dirt. If I opened my mouth, it would fill up with dirt.

That game was a pretty quiet game other than occasional cheers from the stands. But it was a not only a difficult game for the players, but a difficult game for me. Going to the games is my social time. The blowing dust put a damper on my visiting hours.

I realized after the game that perhaps I can learn from the blowing dust to keep my mouth shut. Sometimes talking too much can seem harmless, but can lead to more trouble.

James tells us in how the tongue "is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." With our tongues, we can say things that will hurt other people.

Each time I opened my mouth during the gusts, I ate dust. I ended up having to wash out my mouth quite often. It reminded me how my mother used to say to me when I mouthed off to her, "Do you want me to wash your mouth out with soap?"

After speaking unkind words, it will leave the taste of dust in our mouths. We have to wash out our mouths by repentance.

I can and shall learn to shut my mouth when necessary so I hopefully I won't have to eat anymore dirt.