It’s my tongue, I’ll move it if I want to
Like everyone else, I have my problems. Not that I want to get in trouble, but trouble always seems to be close to where I am at the moment. I’m sorry for that moment when they first got me into trouble.
Some problem that I can’t avoid. It just happens, and no matter what you do, there are problems in the room. I don’t think there is anything I can do about it, but I hope the problem is not that bad.
I know that some people in my family get into trouble on purpose. The great goal of his life is to get into trouble on a variety of levels. In the past, when we had family reunions, this person, who will remain anonymous, did everything he could to cause trouble.
Most of the family just ignored him and forgot what he was doing. He wanted to be remembered as the family troublemaker. In fact, he was remembered as the Goofball of the family.
Another form of trouble is what people intentionally cause. For whatever reason, they want to get in trouble and enjoy bullying a lot.
I could never understand this intimidation mentality. What does someone get by harassing another person? I remember that at school, several boys had a lot of fun bullying other children.
That continued until Miss Ammon, the fifth grade teacher, appeared. He had his way of discouraging anyone who crossed his path. If she caught you, you were in more trouble than you could handle.
Also, there is the problem that I get into by making a mistake. I didn’t mean to do it, but for some reason I did, and as everyone knows, there are always consequences. The consequences are usually not worth it.
I have had experience with almost all levels of problems in one form or another. Steps on the ladder of progress and growth are a problem. If you can handle problems, then you are progressing in your maturity.
As terrible as all these things are, one source of trouble outweighs all others. It has taken me a long time to understand the dimensions of these kinds of problems.
What I am thinking of at the moment is in my “language”.
This language of mine has been the most important source of problems and problems throughout my life. As I get older, it seems to get worse.
A preacher friend of mine talked about one of the older women in his church and said, “I often wondered if this woman ever had an unspoken thought in her life.”
I know what you mean because I often wondered about myself.
I haven’t learned yet that because I’m thinking about something, I don’t need to speak it. Thinking doesn’t get me in trouble; talking gets me into serious trouble.
Sometimes when the kind lady of the parsonage speaks to me, I speak out loud without realizing it. Then comes the infamous, “What did you say?”
Whenever I hear this, I know that I am in some kind of trouble. Either I didn’t hear it well, or I heard it well, and I responded.
As a veteran husband, I must understand that she does not expect an answer every time she asks a question. All she wants from her husband is a positive nod and a greasy smile.
I know, but sometimes I forget. If only I could train my tongue when to speak and when not to speak. There are times when that old tongue of mine wags and wags, getting me into serious trouble.
One morning just after breakfast, I was getting ready to leave when my wife said, “When will you be ready to do that job?”
I looked at her curiously and said, “What job?”
He stared at me for a moment and then said, “You know. What we were talking about last night while we were watching TV.”
I had no idea what he was talking about. He could remember watching TV the night before, but he had no idea what the conversation was about.
“Won’t you tell me you’ve already forgotten?”
Last night, while I was watching television, he told me about some projects he had in mind and I wagged my tongue in affirmative action. He assumed that I knew what he was talking about and that I had accepted that plan.
If only my tongue had ears, I couldn’t get into so much trouble.
Now, I need my tongue to move to get me out of the trouble it got me into while wiggling the night before.
How many correct comments does it take to correct a mistake?
It would be wonderful if my tongue were somehow attached to my ears. Or maybe, better yet, to my brain.
As I get older, this seems to be a bigger problem.
In my dilemma, I thought of a scripture verse. “So also the tongue is a small member, and boasts of great things. Behold, how great is a matter that a little fire kindles!” (James 3: 5).
Once you say something, it is impossible not to say it. My tongue has gotten me into more trouble than all the other things in my life. But there is something in my tongue that can make up for this. I can use my tongue to praise the God who created me.