A Tamed Tongue~

Thursday greetings~

I wore braces for four long years, partly because I refused to wear a head gear.  That would have knocked off 18 months of treatment, but when you’re 14 years old, the last thing you need are wires protruding out of your mouth that wrap around your head.  That’s the way it was back in the day.  Today’s braces wearers have no clue.  But there was something even worse I had to put up with.

A few months into treatment the orthodontist asked me to show him how I swallow.  Turns out that my tongue would always hit the back of my front teeth while I was swallowing, and this was causing my slight overbite.  The orthodontic world labeled me a “tongue thruster.” 

The solution was a little metallic device – don’t know what’s it’s called – that was glued onto the back of upper teeth.  Every time I swallowed, my overbite-causing tongue would go up there, where it was harshly pricked by the needle-like pincers that were attached to that device.  The orthodontist called it a “deterrent.”  I called it for what it truly was: “Child abuse!”  Some times it would make my tongue bleed.  Poor little Yenisita.

But guess what, it didn’t take long for my tongue to go to the roof of my mouth when swallowing, leaving the front teeth alone.  Before I even realized it, it became a habit.  I didn’t even have to think about it before I swallowed.  My tongue had been tamed to do the right thing.  There was a payoff too; I still have most of my teeth:

   

From a spiritual perspective it is a good idea to have a tamed tongue too.

1 Peter 3:8-12 “Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing. Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, Here’s what you do: Say nothing evil or hurtful; Snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you’re worth. God looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well to what he’s asked.”

We need use our tongue the way God intended, which is to bless others.  He says it’s our job.  And there's a payoff here as well.  If we work at it, if we take a moment to contemplate our responses, if we tame our tongue, our days will fill up with good.  But before we get to the part where God approves and shows it by responding to our prayers, we have to “say nothing evil or hurtful.”  Ouch and help me, Jesus.  If only there were a device that could be attached to our mouth that would redirect our tongue when it attempts to be mean or critical.  Well, there is, sort of.

Psalm 141:3 “O Lord, set a guard at my mouth.  Keep watch over the door of my lips.”   

Over and over again I have talked about how living the Christian life is a win-win.  This is why.  God wants to fill our days up with good, but we need to keep our tongues under control for Him to do so.  I personally have never been one to say evil things, but hurtful things?  Mean things? That is too easy for me sometimes.  But God does not leave me on my own.  He wants to bless me so much that He will help me do the things He asks by keeping watch over me and my mouth.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You are right.  Life is better when we speak beautiful things.  Our days are good when there’s nothing evil or hurtful in our language.  We are blessed when we run after peace.  And it’s all because You respond to us.  Thank You for all the help You give us.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~