Keep the Pillow To Yourself

The tongue is an amazing muscle in the body. So small, yet so powerful. Do this...relax your tongue. C'mon...try hard, I'll give you a few seconds.

It relaxes your whole face...it will even relax your whole body if you concentrate on relaxing your tongue that much. Such a powerful muscle. It controls your tasting abilities, which in turn control your smelling abilities. If you burn it, it hurts for several days. If you bite it, it will hurt for several days.

The Bible is right about our tongue being a powerful thing! In the New Living Version of the Bible there are 79 separate references that specifically use the word 'tongue' in it. That's quite a few references for such a small muscle!

James 3:5 says: "In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire."

Wow! Have you ever wished you would have held your tongue before you spoke? I know I have (lots! Yes mom, no comments please...) We were told a story in class about a church member who should have held her mouth when she was talking with friends.

She gossiped to her friends about her pastor, which in turn spread to other friends, which in turn spread to the community, which in turn came back to the pastor. When this women realized what she had said was wrong, she came back to the pastor to ask for forgiveness. She had realized what she did was wrong and wanted to let him know that. The pastor forgave her, but he gave her this illustration: "Take a feather pillow with you to the edge of town. Tear it open on top of a hill on a windy day and let the feathers fly all over. THEN...go in to town and pick up all of the feathers that you just let loose. Impossible. This is much like what you have done to me. I forgive you, yes, but the damage to my reputation is done. There is no reversing the words that you have spoken already."

Wow! Have you ever thought of it that way? I encourage you to go to the people in your life that represent you opening a feather pillow on a hill about...ask them for forgiveness. Hopefully not too much damage has been done in that persons life, but maybe you'll realize that you shouldn't stand on a hill with someone else's feathers on a windy day. Keep the pillow to yourself. Relax your tongue. Is what you have to say encouraging or tearing down the other person?

So...put down the pillow.

Blessings,
Kelley <><