And then... sometimes...you find something wonderful!
One Thursday morning, under a pile of wrapping paper I found an old box that once held cheese - not a treasure. But inside the box was hundreds of antique and vintage post cards. The front side of each was unique- Holiday greetings, photo cards of sports figures, celebrities, actors and actresses, and witty 1920's era humor. Some were blank on the back, but many had short notes...treasured by someone for almost a century! Then there were a few where a writer had attempted to erase some of the words...leaving just an impression behind.
I must confess - I save most of the greeting cards I receive that have a personal note; the time it's taken someone to write kind words, and the thoughtfulness behind the gesture are things I treasure.
And if I'm honest, there are words not written down, not-so-kind words...that I wish I could erase...and forget...
This colorful card came from Germany in the early 1900's.
Jesus said, "...the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart...every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
Paul told the Ephesians to use words that were helpful for building others up according to their needs, words that were a benefit to those listening.
Let's stop to think about what words have come out of our mouths in the last 24 hours? They gauge what is going on in our heart!
The words of Jesus and Paul are convicting. We may need to ask forgiveness for those words, and the heart issues that are behind them.
Reading the old post cards made me realize something - the words we share may be around for a long time! If not on the back of a post card, perhaps in someone's heart. Would we want the words we're about to share to last one hundred years? Or would we wish we could erase them?
"For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether." Psalm 139:4
No comments:
Post a Comment