Good Morning,
We have a nice refreshing day here in Wisconsin and I am enjoying some quiet time before heading to church. I have a big cup of Door County Mocha Mint Coffee sitting next to me as I write some thoughts for the day.
James 3:2-10English Standard Version (ESV)
2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. 3 If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4 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. 5 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! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,[a] and set on fire by hell.[b] 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,[c] these things ought not to be so.
Yesterday our church sponsored a Hunters Safety class for those wishing to obtain a license to hunt wild game. It was mostly kids and their parents who attended. I however decided to attend. I was grandfathered because of my age and am not required to have a certificate from the state to obtain a license to hunt. But since the class was offered at church Grandpa decided to attend. I am proud to say that I graduated. One can never be too safe with a gun.
But while I was there learning a few things and realizing I was already doing the safe things but just never had to complete a written exam and a field test, my mind could not help but equate gun safety to mouth safety. One acronym we had to know was TABK.
T Treat every gun as if it is loaded. We need to treat our mouths as if they were loaded guns and
could go off on purpose or accidentally. We need to think before we speak.
A Always have the gun muzzle pointed in a safe direction. Speaking kindly is always a
safe approach to keeping your mouth pointed in the right direction.
B Be aware of your target and what is in front of it and beyond. What collateral damage can the
words that are coming out of your mouth going do to the target of your words and possibly
others? It might be best to be quiet and not take that verbal shot.
K Keep your finger at all times outside of the trigger guard until ready to shoot. This reminded me
that if we all shoot with our mouths first and ask questions later in life, we are going to assume
that we had all of the information and we could be speaking out of turn and worse yet out of
ignorance.
So in closing I think we should all obtain permits to use our mouths!! No not really. We just need to practice good mouth safety.
God bless,
Marty
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