Me and My Big Mouth

My mouth has gotten me into a lot of trouble. I have heard from many people that I talk too much. If I am honest, I must agree. I do talk too much.

But here is the thing, people are rarely balanced. People usually lean one way or another.

For example, some people lean toward the law. They tend to be very strict and preach holiness and repentance.  Other people lean towards grace. They tend to focus on God’s love, mercy, and compassion. Some prioritize spending time with their family and try not to work more than they have to. Other people prioritize spending money and they work as much as they can, presumably so their families would be better off financially.

I could go on and on. It is hard to always have it right without a leaning of any kind.

But for me, in terms of talking too much, I’m fine with it.  I’m willing to deal with the consequences of talking too much rather than the consequences of not talking enough. You can always apologize for something you said — but there are times when, if you don’t say it, no one else will. And sometimes, you don’t get a second chance.

There are people who will die of a heart attack, unless somebody gets in their face and warns them of their unhealthy habits. There is a man who is going to lose his marriage unless his friend pulls him to the side, looks him in the eye and gets real with him. There are people who have drifted from God and need someone to preach a message of repentance to them, or else they will go to hell.    

The world is full of people who have “nice” friends – people who tell you what you want to hear. What the world needs more of are honest friends who will tell you what you need to hear. Even more  – people who will say what God is saying.