4:64 – A Moment On The Lips, A Lifetime On The Hips

#faithbites #faithjourney lips

Setting

This morning I was thinking about memes that people share. The good, the bad, and the ugly. What struck me was that some of the best people I know, quickly share something that doesn’t fit their personality. The first read of it may sound great, but when you dig into it, it’s a bad reflection of that person. Trust me, I’ve done it more than I want to admit. Then I remembered the old food saying of “A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips”. This saying is to help you realize that while it may taste good for a moment, the calories will add up and take a while to burn off. We can apply this to how we speak. It may feel good to say it for a minute, but what impact does it have on others?

Today’s questions: How can we better think before we speak (or share or post)? What can we do to lessen the negative impact of what we are saying to make sure our point gets across?

Scripture

• James 1:19 – Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
• Proverbs 25:8 (MSG) Don’t jump to conclusions – there may be a perfectly good explanation for what you just saw.
• Romans 14:19 (NIV) Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.

Reflection

Our words are powerful. What we say, share, or post can dramatically impact others. We have to think before we speak and then if and when we mess up, listen to others to improve ourselves. When we share, it may not have the impact we intended. In that case, we need to be slow to get angry, listen, and grow. The flipside is also true. As we see in Proverbs, we need to not jump to conclusions about what someone said. We all make mistakes. When words cross our lips, they may not be the right ones. Heck, I’ve messed up more than I care to say and am blessed to have friends who try to help me get better.

Our goal as Christians should be to bring the good news of Christ to others. If we say something wrong or in the wrong way, we need to be open to that. At the same time, we need to think more about how we say things. We want to make sure that those words we say are the ones we want to last a lifetime on the hips (souls) of those we engage with.

As we close, let us watch what comes out of our lips (or fingers in the digital age) and try to act with grace, humility, and love.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we come to you asking for help with our communication. Let our works and interactions with others be pleasing to you. We often say what we feel and that can be misinterpreted by others. Help us to see their point of view and change how we say things. We will stay true to your word and know that there may be better ways to communicate. When someone calls us out on it, let us be open to hearing and open to changing how we speak. This isn’t easy as we all have different backgrounds and experiences which color our judgement. We know that through you, we can have the true voice to speak correctly. We pray all these things in your name, Amen.