Lemonade Stands, Cavities and Keeping My Mouth Shut!

Sunday afternoon, which I think must have been the hottest day of the year, my daughter decided we should have a lemonade stand.  Now, for those of you who have never been by to see us, you drive past the middle of nowhere, turn right, travel another 5.2 miles and there we are.  The good news is, we don’t have any competitors nearby but the customers are sparse as well. 

We decided to make the most of the time between sales by reading books she had checked out for school. Gracie pretended she was the school librarian and read me a book entitled, “Little Bear Brushes His Teeth,” by Jutta Langreuter.  It is a cute story about a little bear (guess you probably caught that from the title, huh?) who doesn’t want to brush his teeth.  He loves to pretend he is a soldier so his mother wisely tells him that there is a battle going on inside his mouth.  She explains that if he doesn’t fight back the bacteria waging war against his teeth with his toothbrush sword, the bacteria will win, causing him to have cavities. Brilliant parenting!

Well God is a brilliant parent too and He knows I learn best from crazy little comparisons that help His Word hit home in my heart.  I hope you are the same way or you may never be able to stick with me and my crazy blog posts.  Anyway, as I drove home that same night, sick with guilt over something I’d just said about a fellow soldier in Christ, this precious story came flooding back to me.  See, I have a battle going on over my mouth as well and that night I had let down my guard and let the enemy claim victory over my tongue.  I apologized but nothing could reclaim my words.

There truly is a battle going on for our mouths, but thankfully God’s Word is “sharper than a double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12)” and it can help us win!  But just like brushing your teeth is something needed daily in order to keep the cavities at bay, we need time with our Commander in Chief every day so we can be prepared for the front-lines.  Matthew 6:45 tells us, ““for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”  To keep our mouths in check, we’ve got to keep our hearts in check and God’s Word is the perfect heart monitor:

• Words said flippantly without a thought of their repercussions – “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.”  Proverbs 15:28

• Gossip disguised as a prayer request – “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29

• Snide comments about someone who has wronged us – “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18                                             

• Or information that just isn't ours to share – “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.” James 1:26

P.S - Gracie made $10 in two hours.  Who can say no to a kid with a broken arm?