One of the little shop-bought desserts that my wife and I enjoy, currently comes with an amusing, or interesting, piece of information printed on the underside of the foil lid. For example, a recent lid provided the information that (translated from the French!): "The hummingbird cannot walk, but it is the only bird that can fly backwards. However, it has never been seen to back away from a Danette."!! Another one that caught my attention during the past week informed me that: "Antarctica is the only continent that does not have spiders. Sadly, it also doesn't have Danette". A final example (I hope that aficionadas of "Trivial Pursuits" are taking careful notes!) assured me that: "A tongue measures on average 9cm. That's long enough to reach the bottom of your Danette jar." You will already have worked out the tradename of the product involved!
It was that last piece of information that started the train of thought for this post. I suspect that, like me, you would cringe at the thought of having a mouth full of, not a pleasant-tasting Danette dessert, but stones! Yet there iare circumstances in which a stone in the mouth can be beneficial! I am assured (but have not confirmed) that a stone (preferably clean!) in the mouth can stimulate the production of saliva - helpful if one is thirsty but there is no water supply/source nearby.
I have also read that the cranes that inhabit the Taurus mountains of southern Turkey have found this to be particularly beneficial. These large birds cackle a lot, especially when they are flying. All of the noise attracts eagles who swoop down and seize the cranes for their next meal. Experienced cranes apparently avoid this threat by picking up stones large enough to fill their mouths. This, in turn, stops them from cackling - and from becoming lunch for the eagles!
Of course, the Bible has a lot to say about the tongue and the mouth! James writes: "... the tongue is a little member and boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by humankind, but no human being can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brethren, this ought not to be so." (3:5-10).
In the Book of Proverbs, king Solomon states that: "From the fruit of his mouth a good man eats good, … He who guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin." (13:2-3); and: "The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a gushing stream. … … A fool’s lips bring strife, and his mouth invites a flogging. A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to himself." (18: 4, 6-7).
How many of our troubles could be prevented if we would learn to control our tongues! How much of the heartache that we cause others could be avoided if we would only guard our speech! The problem is that a word spoken cannot be recalled - even if, so often, we may wish that we could do so!
Do you, as I do, sometimes have a problem with your tongue? May I suggest that we try this: Ask the Lord for His help; think before opening our mouths; speak no more than is necessary. Following such a formula can be as effective as a stone in the mouth!
And a little prayer-verse that I came across, composed by that prolific author "A.N.Onymous"!.
And keep them few and sweet.
For I don't know, from day to day,
Which ones I'll have to eat!"
No comments:
Post a Comment