Tackling the Tongue
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (NIV)
I saw it all. From the beginning. The quite-young employee stood there, accepting a tongue lashing from a peeved diner. “This is a mess! It is filthy and needs to be cleaned up immediately!” spouted the angst-filled lady. In truth, looking around the immediate area, it appeared to be so. The employee assured the lady that she was working on it, only to receive yet another snide retort. I exercised great restraint to remain in my seat and let the teen handle it on her on. The lady had a point. But she didn’t know everything. Let us rewind.
When we arrived the place was tidy and orderly. But while we were still getting our food, a lady with physical challenges, while attempting to get her drink refilled , dropped it and spilled a full cup of Coke all over the floor. Amidst much apologies, the embarrassed patron was assured it was fine, and the young employee rushed out with a mop and a bucket of water. (As an experienced mess cleaner-upper, I wondered why she did not attempt first to mop up the spill with dry paper towels. But still, the girl was trying.) She then added a bunch of mop water to the mess already standing on the floor.
Unfortunately, it was the lunch rush and this all happened in a little ally that serves as both a drink/condiment station and the entry way to the restrooms. Therefore, the whole time the kid was sloshing water about on the floor, hurried diners tiptoed past her to the rest room. They stood behind the puddles and reached for drinks. And ice. And ketchup. All with dirty feet.
Soon muddy slush developed on the floor. Feeling guilty, I informed the girl that the icemaker was completely empty and asked if there was someone else I should tell. She assured me that she would handle it all. She left the muddy slop, the ketchup splatter and the cocktail sauce spills and went to fetch ice in large buckets. In the middle of the lunch fray, she stood on a stool, dumping ice in a bin with some cubes flying in all directions.
To her merit, the girl recognized the fall risk and went immediately back to mopping. (Enter craggy, hateful lady. ) While reaching around the employee, the lady notices a mess of spills on the counter. And without hesitation, unloaded her disgust and irritation on the young girl.
I wanted to scream! It is not her fault someone else spilled their drink. She could not help all of us reaching around her to get condiments, making a mess as we went. She was only one person, doing the work of three…as hard as she could go.
To be fair to the older lady. It was messy and unpleasant to look at. But sometimes. Sometimes. There is more to the story than we first see. Sometimes things happen that are beyond our ability to rectify immediately. And when that occurs, don’t we all need a little grace?
How many times have I gotten half-cocked information and addressed a situation? How many times did I spout off without benefit of context? Perhaps that is one of the reasons the Bible says we are to be swift to hear, but slow to speak!
We do not know everything. Our opinion is not always right. And God’s righteousness? It is not often fulfilled when we are shooting off at the mouth!
Are you busted? Yeah, me too! If we are going to be salt and light, we must apply seasoning to all we say. We cannot be too quick to offer an opinion or unleash a piece of our mind every time things do not suit!
Dear Lord, forgive me for being rash with my tongue. For being quick to become ill, angry and aggravated. Help me see life’s situations through your eyes. And speak through the filter of love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
so very, very true.
Oh so true, Sherri. I am actually a hot-head when I am stressed or tired. But is important for us, followers of Christ, to tame the tongue.