The Better Way

I feel that in retrospect, he’d take it all back if he could.  That he wish he’d never have said those words, those words that pierced my heart that was already wounded, that was already hurting.  I feel that if given the opportunity to do the whole sorry conversation over, I really believe he would have made better use of his words, of his emotions, and of his reactions.  Sadly though, once out there, those words just cannot be erased, cannot be wiped out with the backspace key, cannot be erased from the paper, cannot be blotted out nor have the White-Out applied to them for you see, when they roll off of the tongue without consideration, too often their permanence has been ingrained and the damage done.

That’s why I love the written word!  Ahh yes, the spoken word is great also but like mentioned above, once it’s been said, there are no take backs.  But when something is scribed with a pencil, with a keyboard, or with mini- strokes on a keypad there is always that opportunity to stop, to consider if that was the correct, the best word choice, or even if maybe the whole sentence should be erased.  Remember my “Letters That Have Never Been Sent” file?  Yeah, those letters are in a nice, safe place and not out there, wreaking havoc with my emotional thoughts and opinions and spewing venom and hurtful things.  They are in a drawer and/or computer file, and unable to hurt because the words penned in them have no target.

Whoa!  What happened to you?  You look like you’ve been in a bar fight!  

The words, if spoken by a friend, could more easily have been swallowed.  However, since they came from a stranger and since he cringed from my presence when seeing my bandaged face, they stung.  As I wrote above, in hindsight he more than likely would have controlled that beast of a tongue instead of it controlling him.  He probably would have offered some sympathy instead of expressing horror, making me feel like a freak.  He might even have questioned what happened to a sweet ol’ gal like me instead of assuming I had been out on the prowl, visiting in places I have no business of being in -- just as he had no business coming to my home with his agenda of selfishness.  I guess we’ll never know, huh?

As I close today, consider with me the passage from James 3:5-11.  Yeah, we’ve discussed it in this blog before and knowing me, it will come up again.  Nonetheless, my prayer for me and for you is that these words from scripture will permeate our hearts, lead us to consider our words, and to use our tongues for blessing and not cursing, for sweetness instead of bitterness.  When we see others--instead of passing immediate judgment and condemnation--let’s ponder for a moment or two that all may not appear as it seems to on the surface.  Jumping to conclusions and then voicing those opinions often leaves a trail of mayhem when if we’ll just be quiet, just think, then there’s a good chance we can make someone’s day a more positive one.  Amen?  Amen!

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.  For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:  But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.  Therewith bless we God, even the Father;  nd therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing.  My brethren, these things ought not so to be.  Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?