Tag - mouth

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A Fool’s Words
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Smokey the Bear in Oven Mitts

A Fool’s Words

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We all wish we had kept our mouth shut from time to time but we don’t often assign the word “foolish” to our words. The book of Proverbs has approximately 15 verses with the word “foolish” in them that relate directly to how a fool uses his or her words.

If we don’t want to be a fool, then we need to know what a fool is characterized by.

1. A fool uses his or her mouth for self-righteousness. I worked for an employer during my time in college who refused to begin a sentence with the word “I.” He felt as though it assigned too much worth to himself. Though I found writing letters on his behalf difficult, I did appreciate that he took intentional steps toward humility.

A fool does not delight in understanding, but only wants to show off his opinions.
-Proverbs 18:2

 2. A fool can argue about anything. And may I add, loudly. A fool doesn’t pick a well-crafted argument and hold a logical discussion. Today, we see fools all over social media platforms in particular. Any fool can leave an abrasive comment on a post, but how many hearts are changed via an angry status?

It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute, but any fool can get himself into a quarrel.
-Proverbs 20:3

3. Even a rich fool is miserable company. On a walk this weekend, I joked with my husband that we should knock on the door at this one house and become their friends simply based on the fact they had a boat stored in their garage and a friendship could lead to an invite out on the boat. But I would rather be poor with my honest, loyal friends as we sit in the living room eating popcorn than spend an evening trapped on a yacht with a rich person who is a fool. Spending time around foolish people wears me out; no amount of money could cause me to constantly spend time with them.

Better a poor man who lives with integrity than someone who has deceitful lips and is a fool.
-Proverbs 19:1

It’s easy to read through these three characteristics of a fool’s words and think of other people in your life that fit them perfectly. But it’s harder to reflect on our own mouth and unveil our own foolish tendencies. A characteristic of a wise person is to approach a list like this and apply it to themselves. Let’s commit ourselves for the weekend to pay attention to our mouths and come back together for the next blog with the counter-characteristic of a Wise Person’s Words.

Smokey the Bear in Oven Mitts

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Why are my oven mitts also an inch too short when I use them? I have expert skills when it comes to burning myself in the kitchen. I’m running cold water over my finger in the sink before I can figure out what went wrong. The Lord created our bodies with automatic defense mechanisms such as pulling your hand away when it comes into contact with a hot surface. I don’t stand there and think to myself, “Hey Renae, the knuckle of your thumb has reached an unbearable temperature since it has come into contact with the oven rack. Let’s move our hand rapidly away from this heat.” If I had to think through that motion, I would be blistered every time. That reaction saves my skin additional pain.

Unfortunately, not all of our defensive reactions prevent pain. There’s always that tongue of ours that James 3 warns us about. James tells us it’s a restless evil, full of poison, able to set the largest of forests on fire.

Better put Smokey the Bear on high alert because these tongues of our are deadly. We don’t need microphones, megaphones, or large platforms, just a small kindling will do. A harsh word in anger or frustrated complaint when patience is worn thin.

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