You’ve all heard the expression, “Open mouth; insert foot!” I call it Foot in Mouth Disease and feet are the delicacy of FIMM: Foot in Mouth Man.  But FIMM is so funny precisely because we all can relate. We have all been FIMMpersonators at one time or another.  It’s just that FIMM sticks his foot in his mouth so often he has Athlete’s Tongue!

There is a story floating around the internet that the Arizona Republic was supposed to have reported.  I cannot find the original story, but that is not unusual as I have been known to search Google for “pickles” and end up with information on juice boxes!

The story is about a man named Terry Mikel who was reportedly pulled over for speeding while heading to Tuscon.  The officer gave him a warning and told him to “drive safe”.  Mr. Mikel just couldn’t help himself.  He was apparently a card carrying member of the “Conversation Correction Patrol.”  He told the officer that he should have said, “slow down and drive safely” at which point the officer handed him a $72 speeding ticket!

I don’t know if there really is a Terry Mikel or if he really received a speeding ticket exactly this way, but I am sure of one thing.  Human beings find it exceedingly difficult to hold their tongues!

“Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” -Psalm 141:3

Not having the discipline to keep the door of your lips will cost you!  But, if you think $72 is costly, think again at how much more trouble our mouths have gotten us into!

How much would it cost you if you didn’t keep the door of your lips with your customer?   Your employee?  Your BOSS?  What price would you put on a friendship?  On your marriage?  On your relationship with your children?

Keeping watch over our tongues and our mouths takes skill and practice.  Is it ever fully achieved?  No!

“But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” -James 3:8

But there are many lessons in God’s Word that teach us to attempt to control our mouths and others that tell us of the blessings we can bring forth with it.

“Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” -Proverbs 16:24

The Bible is full of hundreds of scriptures that teach us about the importance of how we communicate with each other.  If the Lord felt it important enough to put in His Word hundreds of times, it’s a subject He must want us to study!  Amen?

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JoJo Tabares holds a degree in Speech Communication, but it is her humorous approach to communication skills which has made her a highly sought-after Christian speaker and writer.  Her articles appear in homeschool publications, such as Homeschool Enrichment Magazine and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, which also endorses her Say What You Mean curricula.  You can also find JoJo on web sites such as Crosswalk.com and Dr.Laura.com.  For more information on communication FUNdamentals and Christian-based communication skills for the whole family, please visit http://www.ArtofEloquence.com
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