From Out of the Heart
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When she walked into the room, all eyes drifted in her direction.
She looked amazing. Her outfit was beautifully coordinated.
Her hair was perfectly coiffed. She had a lovely figure, and she knew how to present herself very well. Yes, her outward appearance was impressive.
But shortly after the meeting began, someone stepped on her proverbial toes. When she opened her mouth and responded to the apparent injustice, the expressions of admiration suddenly turned to shock. As I listened to the exchange, I was filled with great disappointment. The verbal exchange soon stopped, but a sense of sadness lingered as we left the meeting. I allowed some time to pass before addressing the situation with both parties and made some suggestions as to how the situation could have been handled differently.
They both eventually agreed, but the well-dressed lady did so with some reluctance. She felt she had been wronged and felt justified in having defended herself.
As I remembered the verbal exchange several days later, it reminded me of the beautiful red-and-yellow apple sitting on my fruit tray. It looked perfect, as if it had just been picked from the tree. I was hungry, so with great anticipation, I washed it and split it down the middle with a knife. To my horror, it was black inside except for a thin layer of white flesh closer to the skin. I was so disappointed. I had been fooled by its external beauty. Jesus’ words of admonition came to mind: “The mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45, NIV).
It is not an easy thing to control our tongues.
We tend to respond instinctively with harsh words when we feel attacked. Then comes the regret. Even though we apologize, scars are left on our hearts and on the hearts of others. To guard my words, I have made David’s words my mantra: “I said, ‘I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle’ ” (Psalm 39:1, NKJV). “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10, NKJV). If my heart is clean, my words will be good and kind.
Sonia Kennedy-Brown
