The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness. – Proverbs 10:31-32
I spent many of my childhood days outside playing softball. My older sister and I started playing on a team at a young age. Of course, being so young, we were not very good. However, consistency paid off because we were decent players by the time we were teenagers. By the time I was twelve years of age, I was ready to play on our Christian school’s girls’ softball team. The coach had me in the outfield first. Soon, I moved to being the catcher, and eventually I played shortstop. To play shortstop, I needed to be willing to get hit by the ball and be able to catch and throw the ball in a hurry to first or second base.
In my mind, I was unstoppable. I was good at softball and thoroughly loved the game. One day at practice when I was near fifteen or sixteen years of age, I had a terrible attitude and yelled at my coach immediately after being corrected for something that I did. He benched me that day. I remember going home and telling my mom about it, thinking that she would take my side. Of course, she did not take my side. She actually made me apologize to my coach.
Many of us have been there, developing a bad attitude and letting our words come out before even thinking about the consequences. It is easy to get aggravated and overworked by things that come into our lives. The Bible talks about having a froward mouth. Froward means “difficult to deal with.” The Bible talks about how …the froward tongue shall be cut out… That sounds painful; however, it does not mean that we must go into outpatient surgery to get our tongues removed.
Before we are saved, it is our nature to sin, and we are without the Holy Spirit to help us overcome these sins. Once we are saved, He comes into our hearts and is there to help us. To start growing in our Christian lives, we can apply Colossians 3:8-9: But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; How wonderful that we can put off the old man (our flesh) and put on the new man (a Christ-like mind)! Colossians 3:12-13 says, Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. This is not an overnight “transformation.” Once saved, we become new creatures, but this takes time and God’s grace. Perfection can never be obtained until we get to Heaven.
After staying at home for seven months after my daughter was born, I was ready to go back to work part time on an ambulance. This would allow me to get away for a few hours a couple of days a week but still be able to spend time with my family. My boss explained that I would not be working on an ambulance out in the field but in the office as a dispatcher instead. I was not happy about this. I did not enjoy answering phones and being inside all day. This was not my expectation of coming back to work. I wanted to be out in the field working on an ambulance.
I went into his office and stated in an angry voice how much I hated working in dispatch. I was very upset. He explained to me that I was good at dispatching and that they needed someone to fill in that day. I walked out upset and thought, “I don’t care if I’m good at it! That doesn’t mean I like it.” The next day, I went into his office and apologized because the Lord had not let me sleep that night. I knew better than to act that way, and my behavior had been wrong.
As Christians, we must allow the Lord to control our tongues. We need to take this list of the deeds of the old man and get rid of it, then put on the new man. We must allow the Lord to do a work in our lives. Everyone may not have the temper like mine, but I know that we all fall short somewhere in our lives. We may be uncomfortable in our own situations, but that does not give us permission to have a froward mouth. We may have difficult times when we must juggle many different things just to survive, but that is no excuse.
I challenge you to memorize this list describing the old man and the new man and to compare your life with it. Proverbs 11:20 says, They that are of a froward heart are abomination the Lord: but such as are upright in their way are his delight. The second part of that verse tells us that the Lord takes delight in those who are upright. As Christian ladies, we have many opportunities to be a delight in the Lord’s eyes. Let us see each day as an opportunity to be a delight in the Lord’s eyes.
There are people who look to you, and you are their encouragement. You probably don’t even know it. Those who watch you understand that you are a human being with shortcomings, but you can be a good example and not a stumbling block with your words. Whether speaking to your children, to a Sunday school class, or even to the babies in the nursery, you can be a delight to the Lord with your words so others can see Him through you!
by Mandy Harper