O Be Careful, Little Mouth

I've had a "blog" percolating inside my head for a couple of weeks. When I saw a post on FaceBook this morning, it just poured out.

YOUR LIFE IS A MINISTRY.

PEOPLE ARE WATCHING YOU

WHETHER YOU KNOW IT OR NOT.

Once upon a time, long long ago, Tom and I spent every Wednesday night with our little granddaughter (now turning 21). As months went by, she began to talk. Growing up in a largely adult environment, she had quite a vocabulary. And in addition, with a Hispanic Dad and an Anglo Mom, she was bi-lingual, responding in the language used to address her.  I remember saying "thank you" to her when handing her a cookie; trying to get her to repeat it back to me.  After a few weeks I commented to Tom that while she wasn't saying "thank you", she WAS saying the same word each time, apparently her own version of thank you.  Then our exchange student from Ecuador arrived and explained to us...she's saying "gracias".  Our ears just weren't attuned to catch that.

Time passed and one day I heard her say, "well actually....."  Something in the cadence of her delivery caught my attention. I didn't realize how frequently I prefaced my comments that way. Seeing, observing, imitating...(scary!)

As children, my sister Kathy and I had a blue record player with a manual arm and a selection of discs. My recollection is that the "artist" was known as Susie Sunshine but I was unable to locate that on Google. I did, however, find the words to one of the songs we listened to over and over again.

O Be Careful, Little Eyes 

O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see

O be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little ears what you hear
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little ears what you hear

O be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little hands what you do
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little hands what you do

O be careful little feet where you go
O be careful little feet where you go
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little feet where you go

O be careful little mouth what you say
O be careful little mouth what you say
There's a Father up above
And He's looking down in love
So, be careful little mouth what you say.

It's the "little mouth" that has been in my thoughts a great deal.  Whether the words are actually spoken, or are communicated by fingertips on a keyboard, they have such power to impact others. The result may be positive and uplifting or may be depressing or hurtful.  I know I've observed this in posts to my FaceBook account. There are some folks whose messages are so frequently negative that my inclination is to delete them. For me, that is counter-balanced by posts from others who post about the blessings in their lives...their children, their answered prayers, the unexpected blessings. I count on those positive infusions.

Among the collection of Christmas cards I received this year, I noted one recurring comment: I enjoy your Updates and Blogs. I think I'm being "cyber stalked" by people who "follow" me but don't post a response. It goes without saying that when we post something online, there is no way to control who may eventually read it. Hence, "be careful little mouth what you say."  

Let the words of my mouth be for your pleasure, and the meditation of my heart before you, Lord Jehovah, my helper and my Savior.                                                     Psalm 19:14 Aramaic Bible in Plain English