Rein it in!

As much as it hurts to walk away from a situation and realize you've just made a complete jerk of yourself, it also hurts to see someone else do the same.

Ughhh! Why is that sometimes we just can't help but open our mouths and shove the whole foot in? I mean, from heel to toe. (And before you go all imaginary on me, it wasn't one of my crew. I prefer to think we have a handle on this - somewhat anyway.)

I totally understand that everyone has the occasional bad day. With the fast paced life, the unexpected bumps and bruises and the fact that much of our daily schedule relies pretty much upon the schedule of others - it can all play a huge part in the way we see a situation. But the way we react to something is completely and totally up to us. We are solely responsible for locking our lips and deciding if what comes out of our mouth is brook or volcano.

It's once again very 'time appropriate' that I received a devotional today dealing with this very issue. It described how the incident I witnessed yesterday is similar to the rodeo roping of a calf.

The little calf bursts from the stall and then the cowboy and his steed follow close behind. With his lasso in hand, the cowboy swings the rope in the air and attempts to lasso the calf before it escapes out of the corral door at the opposite side of the arena. That is a vivid picture of what we must do with the words that attempt to escape the gate, the mouth…we must rein them in.

Once we lasso a thought, we can decide which words leave the gate and which words need to be tied up and secured.

Unfortunately I witnessed a whole section of fence being ripped down yesterday. And while I can't seem to get it out of my mind, I also can't imagine how I would feel if the words had been directed at me. Again, I suppose the timely arrival of the devotional should be noted :)

It went on to say that 'studies show that we speak at about 120 to 180 words a minute. It seems like we need to do a bit more lassoing and a lot less running on.'

Finally, my brothers and sisters, always think about what is true. Think about what is noble, right and pure. Think about what is lovely and worthy of respect. If anything is excellent or worthy of praise, think about those kinds of things. Do what you have learned or received or heard from me. Follow my example. The God who gives peace will be with you. (Philipians 4:8-9)

'Once the cowboy slips the lasso around the calf’s neck, he throws it to the ground and whips that rope around its kicking legs to make sure it doesn't go anywhere. Likewise, we need to “cast down” those thoughts back to the dirt where they came from and make sure they aren’t going anywhere.'

I realize that's a tough one. Emotions can cause our thoughts to be anything but cast down. They fly out of our mouth like a 4 year old shooting down a water slide on a hot summer day. Once they leave the starting line there's no stopping them until they're completely drenched.

And as painful as yesterday's experience was to witness, I hope it sticks with me for a long time. There are countless regretful things that have escaped my mouth. Maybe this will help me to remember what a jerk I must've been and how the people on the receiving end must have felt.

"I give you a new command. Love one another. You must love one another, just as I have loved you. If you love one another, everyone will know you are my disciples." (John 13:34-35)

So all I can say is ...

Dear LORD,

Sometimes I just can’t believe what comes out of our mouths. Please help me to think before I speak. Keep your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my big mouth.

In Jesus’ Name,
Amen