My words spill and as much as I would like to stop the harsh flow as it cascades and covers the heart, mind, and emotions of my child there is no stopping up the ears ability to receive Mama’s tone of anger, frustration, disappointment, and weariness...
with me...
“The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.” Proverbs 15:28
The righteous heart ponders. The wicked mouth pours.
Remembering can be blessing...or unyielding with pain. It all lies in the memory.
How will they remember my voice? How will their quiet thoughts recall my face? Will it be warm grace notes laced in curvy smiles reflecting love and approval?
...or scowls retching ugly?
“For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” Matthew 12:34
A godly heart considers words to be spoken assuring they are spoken in love—seasoned with gentleness, kindness and humility. The ungodly heart—the selfish bent on implementing his own way ruled by the flesh—does not care to control the tongue. Self, pride, anger, and offense rule the heart and harsh retaliation easily spills—if not spews—from the mouth, disfiguring the face.
The law of kindness responds while the flesh reacts.
“But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.” 1 Peter 3:15
Time spent with Him makes a heart more like His.
Jesus never reacted—He responded. Even in the temple as He cast out the moneychangers and sellers—His response was not one of reaction instigated by anger, but a response to the ugliness He witnessed in a place reserved for holy. He was angry with the disrespect, the evil—the thorns among the rose. He didn’t react to getting pricked by the thorns. He responded to their presence. His heart pondered liberation without His mouth pouring hatred or ugliness. His response was right and He was not stopped by the people for His destruction.
How do I respond to their presence? What has been my reaction to sin, disobedience and childlikeness? Is it not...at times...a reflection of my own poor ability to die to my self, my sacrifice, and my pride? My reaction to them only validates my own struggle with sin, with disobedience to yield and with childlikeness insisting on my own way.
Pour into me, O God, I pray! I am so very desperate for You! They are desperate for You in me!
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord.” Psalm 19:14
