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Words - what a powerful means of expression! I love words, especially written words. Perhaps that's why I write. From the time I was a little girl, I found a comfortable place in written words. In addition to reading everything I could get my hands on, I spent much of my time writing stories, songs, feelings, you name it - I tried to put everything down in words. Many moons and many years later, I've often wondered why I still prefer writing to speaking. And I think I know. Like many writers, when I "write" I take the time to choose my words more deliberately. Words that express exactly what I want to say from my heart - words that, hopefully, I will not regret or feel the need to take back later - words that I carefully think-out before I give birth to them. Ahhh, such is the beauty of our written words. Unfortunately, the words that roll off our tongue and out of our mouth can sometimes be an entirely different matter! Take cussing for instance...
I grew up in the deep south in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains where "cussing" wasn't really considered profanity. Cuss words were more of a verbal "explanation point" that we strategically placed smack dab in the middle of a sentence, just in case folks were not paying attention, and to prove a point. Most of my redneck family thought cussing was an art form, of sorts, and you usually learned it from your mama or daddy (or both) early on! Mind you, I'm not talking about the "mother of all mother" words like, well, you know the word I'm talking about. Nope, I'm talking about those little jaw-dropping words that just seemed to roll off one's tongue and out of one's mouth like a bullet on a mission.
My dad was especially adept at the art of using cuss words, much to my mama's chagrin and embarrassment. Nope, he didn't cuss all the time, only ocassionally, and mostly for affect. As a kid, I stood by and listened in utter fascination as daddy displayed his talent and way with words. I was especially in awe of how daddy could effortlessly command the attention of everybody in the room with a perfectly placed expletive!
Picture the old TV sitcom, "All In The Family" with Edith and Archie Bunker, or the movie, "The Christmas Story" and you've got a pretty close facsimile of my family dynamics growing up. No doubt, dad was a pivotal figure in our family. And suffice to say, just like Ralphy, I managed to pick up a few choice words from dad along the way. Fortunately, I soon realized that the mimicked words that were coming out of my mouth didn't really represent who I wanted to be, or how I felt. Okay, let' be honest here, maybe at the moment my words were a pretty good representation of how I felt! Anyway, you get my gist. One thing's for sure, one's mouth and words can tell others a lot about a person - even us rednecks know that! Maybe that's why there's a time for words, and there's a time to simply shut-up. Sorry, that's a bit blunt, I know. But at least I get my bluntness honestly. As my mama used to square her tiny shoulders and boldly preach to my daddy, "It's one thing to be thought a fool. It's another thing to open up your mouth and prove it." What can I say? You go, redneck mama!
Even A Fool Looks Wise When
He Keeps
HIS MOUTH SHUT
"Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent."
(Proverbs 17: 27 - 28, ESV)
A high-headed horse with a gaping mouth is a horse that is full of himself. You cannot bridle a horse that is full of himself without asking for a fight. In this picture, I'm asking my horse to stand quietly, lower his head, and accept the bit in his mouth. When a horse is willing to take the bit in his mouth and close his lips quietly around it, that is not only a sign of his submission, but a clear indication of his intelligence.
Words, Words, Words! We all have so many words we want to say and so little time to say them! Speaking of words, I'm reminded of congratulatory TV shows like the Golden Globes and the Oscars. Time and again, a well respected actor or actress is awarded for their hard work and excellent portrayal of a character in a movie. Perhaps we've seen the movie and we're equally impressed with our favorite thespian. That is, until they humbly walk to the podium where they practice their surprised look, while at the same time they pull a crumpled sheet of paper from a hidden pocket and render a 10 minute prepared speech. Suddenly, between yawns and looking at the clock, we realize we're no longer impressed. Why? Too much mouthiness. Reminds me of a few horses I've known along the way...
High-heads and mouthiness usually come in the same package!
Ol' Buck was one of those horses. My husband, Kim, and I had seen an ad for him in the local paper, and decided to check him out. Right from the start, Ol' Buck had all the tell-tell signs of trouble. He was a high-headed horse and a mouthy horse, to boot. Unfortunately, instead of "listening with our eyes" to what Ol' Buck was really saying, we chose to listen to the lengthy words of the seller. Herein is a lesson within a lesson. A seller can (and will) tell you what he wants to, but the horse will always tell you the truth!
Ignoring the mouthy habits of this horse, we made the bad, fateful decision to buy Ol' Buck, and we trailered him home. The next day, I entered the pasture to halter my trail horse mare, Charly One Horse. There stood Ol' Buck at attention with a look in his eye like a soldier gone rogue. Before I could blink, he whipped his head around and bit me square in the chest. Fortunately, my skin wasn't broken, but it quickly puffed up and turned a vibrant red and purple. Obviously, Ol' Buck was giving me a warning that he had now claimed possession of my mare.
Looking back, I should have been scared, but instead, I got mad at this big-mouthed horse. Here's a disclaimer - this was back in the days before clinicians, and natural horsemanship, and all the good stuff we know now, so don't go getting all tree-hugging on me! Anyhow, as a result of my anger, not to mention the painful bite, the fury rose up in me like a hornet's nest stirred up in the middle of June. Instead of running, I landed my best Ronda Rousey upper left punch and landed Ol' Buck square in the middle of his jaw. For a brief second, he stared at me with a stunned look on his face. Then, he opened that ugly mouth of his, and I knew what was coming. So, what did I do? I did what anyone with a little sense would do. I ran like, oops, I almost said it. Get behind me, devil (and you, too, daddy). Suffice to say, I got out of Dodge, and Ol' Buck soon found a new home. Moral of this short story? Watch out for mouthy horses (and people). They always spell trouble!
Keep Your Mouth
And You Will
STAY OUT OF TROUBLE
"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble."
(Proverbs 21: 23, ESV)
This picture says a mouthful about my horse, Samson. He has learned to be a gentleman and respectful. Note that I am resting my arm lightly on top of Samson's poll without applying pressure. This is his cue to lower his head and slant his face towards me to receive the bit. No mouthiness - no trouble!
I once heard a preacher say something that I've never forgotten. It went something like this, "What if there are more people in hell from things said with the tongue, than for deeds done?" Wow, re-read that, and then think about that for a moment. Put to the challenge, perhaps we can still imagine a dark place of torment called hell, even though it's not preached about or mentioned much anymore from America's pulpits. The Bible says that it's a dreadful place where the vilest of sinners who have committed atrocious acts reside eternally, unable to escape. In our mind's eye, perhaps we envision the resident's of hell. They are murderers, and rapists, and thieves, and all those who have committed hideous and deplorable acts against humanity and God's creation. However, we seldom envision anyone in hell for things they've said - only for the things they've done. And yet, God's Word paints a different picture. The Bible teaches that both death and life are in the power of the tongue!
"The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences."
(Proverbs 18: 21, NLT)
Like a lot of folks, I confess that sometimes my mouth has gotten the better of me, but the good news is, we can all learn (if we're willing). We can learn when to open our mouth, and when it's best to keep it shut. We can learn to think first, and we can learn to speak last, and then only thoughtfully. We can learn to say what God says (this requires reading the Bible), instead of what we want to say. And finally, we can learn to put a guard over our mouth and choose our words wisely. Which brings me to another point. Why do we want to choose our words wisely? We want to choose our words wisely because our future is directly tied to what we say! Enough words, already. Until next time, don't forget to "keep your mouth" and stay out of trouble!
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