Sharing My Insights

My beloved son (Benjamin) is away at boot camp.  In one of my letters to him this week, I was sharing one of my experiences as a teenager as it related to what he is learning down in San Diego.

Remember you have 7 openings in your head:
2 = eyes
2 = ears
2 = nostrils
1 = mouth

Be quick to listen and observe, slow to speak and remember to breathe!  James 1:19 reads - I am slow to speak, quick to hear and slow to anger.

When I was 14 yrs old,  I took a mission trip to Mexico. One of the leaders on this trip happened to be a former Military Drill Instructor (DI).  Well, I got in trouble (not really, but the DI thought I had done something I didn’t actually do). The DI asked me a question and I said, “No.”  He said, “No…what?”  I said, “NO!” This leader was trying to give me a big hint.  I was suppose to say, “NO SIR!”  So he told me to drop and give him 20 push-ups.  Now keep in mind, I was in great shape, as I had just built a church - all the other girls on the trip taught Vacation Bible School to the children. I worked with the men and I mixed concrete and laid the block walls for the church.  I carried the concrete in buckets to the guys - 2 buckets at a time.  When I was carrying the concrete blocks, I could manage 4 at a time.  It was a mean workout.  The DI scolded me and punished me in front of a group of 30+ kids - you know to make an example of me.  So, I obeyed and dropped and pumped out 20 male-style push-ups.  Of course,  everyone was blown away, as was the DI.  When I stood up some kids where like wooo and some were laughing and clapping. 

So I am feeling my oats - like I am some sort of bad ass and I look at the leader (former DI) and I mouth off.  I say, “Would you like me to give you 20 more?”  Not a smart move.  The DI said, “No, but you can go to your room without dinner.”  I went to my room and this is where I proceeded to cry in private.  I hadn’t done anything wrong to begin with.  However, had I listened better and maybe paused - I would have gotten that I was to say, “NO SIR”.  Had I not been mouthy, I could have done my 20 push-ups, said nothing and fallen back in line and the DI would have realized he was out of line. But instead, I go and run my mouth.  I was 14, but that is no excuse, even years later I catch myself saying things I wish I could take back.  My point is: I recognize this weakness and I am working on it.  I need to “Bridle my tongue” better.  Bridle means  to "restrain or control".  If we aren’t controlling our tongues we are not operating on the level of maturity that God wants us to have.   So a power thought for you and me mostly is: I am able to control the words I speak by God’s Grace.