The tongue.

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"!.

"Lord, help me watch the words I say
And keep them few and sweet.
For I don't know, from day to day,
Which ones I'll have to eat!"

Lessons on the road!

This morning, my wife and I set off to the home of friends, who are dairy farmers. We had been before, but I had failed to "mark the spot" in the sat-nav, so we were following written directions. All did not go as planned!

En route, we were held up by two different sets of roadworks, and then by what looked to be a quite serious RTA (road traffic accident) although, at least, only the one vehicle appeared to be involved. I thought of life and the way in which, however well we plan, there are unexpected obstacles that hold us back.

I remembered Joseph, whose story is recounted in the Old Testament book of Genesis. He certainly had his life all mapped out. Listen: "Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they only hated him the more. He said to them, “Hear this dream which I have dreamed: behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose and stood upright; and behold, your sheaves gathered round it, and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to have dominion over us?” So they hated him yet more for his dreams and for his words. Then he dreamed another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind." (Gen.37:5-11).

Of course, as many who read this will be aware, that is not what happened - at least, not immediately! Young Joseph was sold into slavery by his elder brothers; he was falsely accused of sexual assault, and thrown into jail. I suspect that anyone would agree that those were big obstacles to his dream! Of course, that is not the end of the story (well worth reading it all: Gen 37-50), and Joseph's dreams did, in fact, come true!

We continued our journey but, at a particular roundabout, roadworks obscured a sign and we went off on the wrong road! We had travelled about two miles before accepting that we had made a mistake but, when we did, we fed some information into the sat-nav and that got us back on to the right route.

That's a bit like life as well, is it not? We make a mistake, but carry on regardless - because we may not have realised that a mistake was made! However, when we do work out that there is a problem - and one of our own making - often, if not always, the best thing to do is to turn around and go back to the place at which the mistake was made. The Biblical word for that, in spiritual terms, is repentance. It's an absolutely necessary pre-requisite to salvation. It was the proclamation of John the Baptiser: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt.3:2). It was the core message of the earliest preaching of the Lord Jesus: "From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” It was the message preached by the apostles: " Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, ..." (Acts 3:19). It is the message that is proclaimed by true disciples of Jesus, even today. Have you repented, and turned from your sinful way of life, trusting in the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus for your salvation, and the empowering presence of God the Holy Spirit to help you live your life for Him?

The third lesson from the morning came to me when a small bird - probably a sparrow - flew right across the pathway of the car, only inches above the ground. I hope that I didn't hit it but, if I did, then I would claim that it was to blame! You see, it didn't have to be flying at that level. It was perfectly capable of flying high in the air, well away from the dangers of road traffic.

The prophet Isaiah wrote, concerning those who trust the LORD: "... they who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." (40:31; emphasis added). The disciple of Jesus need not linger in the lowest places. We may not be able to, physically, fly unaided. However, spiritually, we may soar above the temptations of the enemy - if we are willing to do so!

It was an interesting journey, this morning, with three clear lessons provided. I trust that one, or all, of them may be of help to you as you travel life's journey, and that you may be doing so in the company of the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the best Companion you will ever have!