'The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly'

There are a lot of people that speak different languages.

I only speak English. But I have discovered, I also speak a little bit of 'Ugly'.
Somedays you only hear this languge being spoken behind closed doors or in the car, or muttering 'ugly' when someone is not close enough to hear.

We can hear so clearly because we are often the very ones speaking it.

I came across a verse I have been trying to memorize. This is one of many verses that remind us how closely the heart and the tongue are related. I'm pretty sure they must be first cousins.

Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

I have been thinking alot this week about 'words'....and how they are so quickly connected to what we have allowed in our hearts. 

Matthew 12:36
"But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken."


It is absolutely daunting to say the least, that every careless word slipping past our sometimes sour and puckered lips is etched into eternity.

God doesn't speak ugly, but He always understands it ,even when we try and explain it away. Some day we will stand before our Creator and be held accountable, for this interesting little language we have learned to speak a little more fluently than we would like to admit. A little scary, right?


Here is another verse that reminds me that this is 'serious business'
James 3: 5
"Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark"


Think of all the words spoken towards you over the years......Go ahead take a few moments and remember the good words and the ones that hurt......See the power words can have...Now, release those to the One, who will hold every single soul accountable good or bad.

So how can we learn to speak a new language?? 
We try and fail, only to get to the place of 'why bother'..

It won't happen, if we try to do it alone. But everything can change when we  surrender to the very One who made our hearts and gave us the ability to speak.
We must put ourselves in the right places so we can learn to speak words of love and know how to get our hearts cleaned and ready to live in this world.

To begin; think church, think uplifting friends, think praying, studying the Bible, crying out to God and just being honest with Him.

Guard every thought and remember the close relationship between the heart and the tongue.

It is time,.. through His power to tame the tongue and live godly lives, a very deliberately worded life... living in a way that pleases Him, especially when no one is around. 

"When I Grow Up"

She was waving at me, before I even got out of our yard.

Just across the street, several older people were leaving a Saturday afternoon graduation party. They were all friendly, but she stood out.  She made sure she shared her smile. And it was contagious. As I made our way down our street, I could feel the spring in my step.
On my way back, I stopped and we spoke for a few moments. She was beautiful. Her worn and weathered face was creased with laugh lines and her eyes twinkled. Her sweet spirit reminded me of my Granny.

Granny came into my life just a few years ago. She is one of my mom's dearest friends and it has been such a pleasure to be un-officially adopted into her life.

Granny and I had the joy of traveling with my mom and sisters to Hawaii a few years back. The memories we made there will always be in my heart.
At one point after being 'out on the town'...we were walking past the pool at our oceanfront hotel. The sun had set on the horizon and the water looked so inviting. We had somehow decided as a group of giddy girls, that no one would care if we got our toes wet, so to speak.
Before we knew it, there we were four grown women...in our clothes..wading waist high and giggling in the warm water. Our ages ranged between 45 and 87....and we had the time of our lives, with pictures to prove it.

Many evenings since then, I have spent countless hours chatting with Granny who lives a state away. Her conversation is lively and delightful. She is always so positive, and finds the good in so many situations. I want to be like her, when I grow up!

I always think; we are practicing now, for how we will be then...

When ugly words are on the tip of my tongue..I sometimes think of her, and remind myself that I must practice now, for who I will become.
I hope I can be one of those little old ladies that people like to be around. She is 90 years old now, and her laughter echoes in my mind.

I like to call her my 'heart Granny'.

By the way, if you don't have one, they are are highly recommended. You can find one anywhere, even waving wildly at you, before you leave your yard.
You just have to take the time to stop and wave back.

Philippians 4: 8-9
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think
about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."