Keeping My Mouth Shut!

I have a wonderful voice. That isn't pride. It's just a fact. Well, maybe there is a bit of pride. (I'll repent later). Now, letme make a confession. If you have a voice like mine, you start defining yourself by your voice. So many people (e.g. waiters andwaitresses, flight attendants, perfect strangers) tell me that I havea great voice, that I sometimes will talk just to get people to sayit. Sometimes when people hear my voice on the radio or a tape say,"Wow! You have a great voice,' I will reply that I'm also quite good looking and then hope they never see a picture of me.

Not only that, if one has the kind of voice I have, combined with a glib tongue, one starts using it to control and impress others. Even when I pontificate on subjects about which I know nothing, people think I'm wise. (I once gave some very bad medical advice to someonewho was in my office- Cathy told me after the lady left, "Steve, you have to stop doing that! don't know what you're talking about but, because of your deep voice, she thinks you do.")

I can even mispronounce words (which I do often) and people who hear me do it will start mispronouncing the same words because they think, because my voice has such authority, that they've been doing it wrong all along. In fact, there are people all over the country who mispronounce the words I mispronounce simply because anybody with a deep, authoritative voice like mine must "know."

You get the idea.

And, no, you don't have to tell me it's a sin. Jesus already did. In fact, for a number of years I've been trying to keep my mouth shut. I've found that when I'm anywhere I'm uncomfortable, if I can talk, I can impress and feel more in control. I will control a meeting with my voice and I often just talk until something comes to mind. My problem isn't only that I have a good voice; I have a glib tongue too, and I talk for a living and know how to use words.

I've been praying about this problem (okay, okay, this "sin") for avery long time. I've told the Lord that I didn't know how to change, but I knew that He would be pleased if I did. "So, Lord," I prayed,"You are going to have to do something about this. I've tried and tried and just can't shut up. So, Father, would you give me a quiet heart and stillness which shows my trust in you?"

God answered that prayer in a marvelous way the other day.

I was in a rather large board meeting of a very well-known organization. There were as many as 50 other board members and the issue before the board meeting had a degree of importance to me personally. The meeting literally went on for hours. Opinions were expressed and, thankfully even my views were articulated by others .I believe that every single member of that board had something to say on the issue except me!

That's right. I didn't say a single word; not one word. I mean I was totally silent. It wasn't a sullen or judgmental silence either. It was just being quiet. How about that? I can't tell you how pleased I was and how much I knew that God had finally answered my prayer. You won't understand how big this victory was but, trust me; it was a major one.

When the meeting was finally over (I've thought about becoming a Buddhist because I understand they don't have long meetings), I was practically dancing when I made my way back to the airport. "Lord,You're incredible!" I almost shouted. "You did it and I'm so thankful." If you had seen me at the airport you would have thought I had lost my mind.

I was thinking about how I was fast becoming a spiritual giant and, pretty soon, how God was going to use me as an example to others of true, profound spirituality and godliness.

That was when the gate agent announced on the loud speaker: "Is there a Mr. Steve Brown in the line?"

"Oh no,' I thought, "they're going to bump me off this full flight. I'm sorry, Lord. Forget what I said about the spiritual giant stuff."

So I went to the gate agent and told her that my name was Steve Brown. "Mr. Brown, I'm going to do you a favor," she said. "I can get you back to Orlando an hour earlier on a straight-through flight if you are willing to wait 45 minutes. (The original flight was one that went through Atlanta. And, if you've never been in the Atlanta airport you won't understand this, but let me say that I don't have to go to hell because I've already been there several times.)

"Not only that," she said, "I'll get you back an hour earlier and I'll give you two hundred dollars too."

Now, I may not be the ace in the deck, but I'm not stupid. I grabbed the money and the new ticket, and ran to the other gate before she changed her mind. I had just gotten comfortable at the new gate with one of my favorite people in the world, Buddy Creene, showed up."Steve!" he said with genuine fondness (he likes me too). "Are you on this flight?"

"Well, I wasn't until five minutes ago."

Is God great or what? Just because I kept my mouth shut for a few hours, I got home an hour earlier, got two hundred dollars and got to spend some time with one of my favorite people.

You think that was a coincidence?

No way. God told me that He was pleased and wanted to show it. Of course, He would have been pleased if I had talked for hours at the meeting because He is quite fond of me (you too!). But He wanted to remind me that He had noticed and that I had done it right for a change. God, of course, knows about positive reinforcement. After all, He was the one who invented it.

Enough. I'm running out of space here and other than the bragging (you can only brag appropriately with friends), I did want to make a point. The point is from Scripture and from the book of James. James is talking about the tongue and how dangerous it can be.

"If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well- Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire; a world of unrighteousness. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,these things ought not to be so" (3:3-6a/ 9-10).

Words can be quite dangerous and they can also be a blessing to"those who are made in the likeness of God." Silence blesses too. Ecclesiastes 3:7 says that there is "a time to keep silence; and a time to speak."

So, just in case any of the above applies to you, go to Him. He won't be angry. And, trust me on this; He'll fix it. You won't be perfect but He'll help. It may take a long time and it may always be a struggle but you'll get better. I know. I've been there.

He told me to remind you.

If you're interested, there is more information about:
The most important event of all time and
The most important Book of all time.

email this message to a friend   |   DW Home

©2004 by Key Life Network. Today's Daily Wisdom is by Steve Brown.Steve's daily broadcasts are heard on Christian radio stationsnationwide through Key Life Network. For information on a stationnear you go to www.keylife.org. "Keeping My Mouth Shut" was editedand adapted with permission by Keith Todd who is moderator of theSermon Fodder List. Sermon Fodder provides a d8 aily dosc1 e of Christianhumor and modern-day parables. To subscribe drop an email note toSermon_Fodder-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Today's Daily Wisdom post was edited by Keith Todd, moderator of theSermon Fodder list which offers Christian humor and modern day parables forenjoyment and for use as sermon illustration material. To subscribe go to http://www.sermonfodder.com or drop an email note to Sermon_Fodder-subscribe@yahoogroups.com