Edward Scissorhands

Proverbs 12:18, "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wide brings healing." Have you ever experienced verbal vommit? You know, saying something you wished you hadn't, but it's too late once it crosses your lips. My kids call it a "mouth fart". One word...Gross! We've all done it. Whether it be something said out of anger, hostility, jealousy, or just plain old ignorance...we all have succomed to this one time or another. There have been many times when I let my anger or jealousy get the best of me, and I say something that I really wished I hadn't said. And then when it's all over, I tell myself, "Man! What were you thinking?" or "Yikes, that had to hurt." The truth is, sometimes my mouth overruns my brain. It is at that very moment, that I wish I were Edward Scissorhands. That way, I could use my own hands to cut off my mouth! It says in God's word, that if your hand causes you to sin, that you should cut it off. If we would practice that kind of physical punishment today, there would be alot of us in trouble. We would be walking around, trying to somehow, shove a Wendy's Bacon Cheeseburger in our ear. I know personally that my mouth would have been cut off a long time ago. The thing is, most of the harsh things that I say, aren't about the other person. They might be directed to them, but they are actually about me. It's about what is going on the inside of me at that moment. It's about my insecurities, my fears, or the anger I have inside of me. Matthew 12:34, "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Most of the time, when we direct these feelings within our heart, towards someone else, they don't even know why we said it. They can't see what lies beneath the layers of our heart. They become victims to the pain that we are feeling within ourselves. Our anger and frustration leads us to sin against them and God. Proverbs 14:29, "Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper shows great foolishness." It's all about picking and choosing your battles. It's about pursuing peace, instead of strife. We only feed the anger within us, by spewing it out on someone else. We cause it to grow stronger with every ugly word that comes out of our mouth. If I had a nickle for every time I have told my own children, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything." Man...I would be retired and lounging on a beach in Maui working on my tan! But, somehow, I forget to practice what I preach. Hebrews 12:14, "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord." Dear God, help us to think before we speak hatred to one another. Cleanse our hearts, so that whatever comes out of our mouth, we speak your love.