I'm starting with the man in the mirror
So... I am the first to admit that I have a temper. There I said it, and it is out there! It is the bane of my existence and something that I have struggled with my entire life. I just said to my mother on the phone. "I wish I could just give it to God and never pick it up again.” I am not easily angered, but I am easily frustrated, which leads to anger which leads to all sorts of sin and ungodliness.
The Bible says in the book of James 3:2-6, Indeed we all make mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way!
Wouldn't that be great!! He goes on to say, “A tiny fire can set a great forest on fire and corrupt the whole body. How can blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth?”
This is the question I ask myself often because I consider myself a very strong Christian woman, but I can cuss like a sailor when I stub my toe or I am fed up with the kids, and I am surprised that those words are coming out of my mouth in the church parking lot!
So I read on.
Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring."
So the spring is the source, it seems. When I think of a spring, I think of the scripture,
"Above all else, guard your heart, for from it flows the wellsprings of life."
So the source of the spring is your heart? This is a matter of the heart! (isn't it always?) My heart needs more of Him, more of His word, more time in His presence, and less of me and the cares of this world; the stress and anxiety, worry and misunderstanding, disappointments, and things that muddy the spring. Crystal clear springs and fresh water from which to draw upon.
If the tongue is already a “flame of fire, a whole world of wickedness, set on fire by hell... a restless evil and deadly poison”,
…then I need some self-control and fear of the Lord. I must be stopped! But how? I recently shared with my bible study women how my mother rarely ever raised her voice to us as we grew up and that I don't ever remember my parents fighting in front of us. When I asked my mom how that was possible, she replied, "We made a choice. It wasn't that we never fought or were never angry, but we made a choice." The choice that lies before me is not one of self-control or a case of the "do betters" because I have tried that for years. Sometimes we need to behave our way to better character even when it feels hard and near impossible.
The choice I need to make is to ask God to change my heart. I want clean, clear water flowing from my heart to quench the dreaded firey tongue we read about. Could it be that the blessings pour out when that pure water hits my tongue?
That is my desire.
How can I expect my children to stop fighting, be kind, love one another, choose forgiveness, not yell, and stop saying "that word" in my house if mama’s tongue is a flame of fire?
So today, I'm starting with the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways. James also says, Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. See yourself, walk away, and forget what you saw but if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then GOD WILL BLESS IT!
Hallelujah, That is good news!! Let’s get blessed, Yall!