How grace filled are your words?
You’ve heard of the Swan Lake ballet but probably missed the Moose Lake Ballet. It’s not as graceful as the former, but it’s far more exciting.
The setting is a dark country road. The players are a moose, a frozen lake (actually a pond, but give me some room for artistic license on that point), a driver, and a car.
Some years ago, I was driving home from a friend’s house after dark. As I approached a bend in the road, a huge moose was hurrying across the lake headed in my direction.
At the same time I braked, the moose saw the car. The moose quickly applied its brakes but couldn’t maintain its balance on the ice. Its front legs buckled under him. The moose crashed onto its face with a loud grunt and slid on the ice face first.
With God’s protection, both driver and moose left the scene of a potentially very dangerous accident unharmed. After I got over the fright of the near miss, I could see the humor in the moose and his fall.
Moose are not the most graceful animals in the forest, but falling like that is ungraceful even for a moose.
Like the moose and his sudden stop, sometimes we can be far less than graceful. Sometimes, that’s a lack of physical grace; more often, it’s a lack of grace in our words. Our words can do tremendous damage.
It’s no wonder Scripture is full of admonitions about the tongue.
There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. Proverbs 6:16-19 ESV
A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. Proverbs 15:4 ESV
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. James 1:26 ESV
How’s your tongue? As graceful as a charging moose on ice? Or does it bring forth wells of love, blessing, and life?
Until next time, may your tongue bring blessings, not curses.
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.