WE ALL HAVE BIG MOUTH MOMENTS

 By Danelle Carvell

Sometimes my pie hole gets me into trouble. But a big mouth moment can always be fixed. 

                                             

Joyce Meyer wrote a book called, Me and My Big Mouth. What a perfect title for a book about the regretful things that we say. Who hasn't said something and then immediately wished that they could suck their words back in? 

Whenever I say words that could be taken the wrong way, I immediately feel the need to make it right somehow. My verbal slip will stay in the back of my mind and nag at me until I clear the air by telling the person that I didn't mean it the way it may have sounded. 

People usually appreciate my concern for their feelings. Sometimes they accept my apology and other times they surprisingly say that they thought nothing of it. Either way, when I share my verbal regrets, I get it off my mind and it no longer nags at me. My mind is cleared.

Some people have no regret about the things they say. I'm not really talking about mean people who enjoy being mean. Most of us are not mean-spirited. 

I've been told by several employers that I am a conscientious person. I sometimes wonder if that's a good thing. It's really not fun to be so tuned-in to the things I say and do. I often wish that people could just know my heart and give me the benefit of the doubt when I say something questionable. 

The truth is that ocassional misunderstandings are impossible to avoid unless we stop communicating all together. No one who is able to speak will ever get through life without saying something the wrong way or having their words wrongly understood.

Sometimes we say things out of frustration. Sometimes we choose the wrong people to share things with. Sometimes we just say things without thinking and then cringe when we realize what we said. This is part of our human nature. 

If we were able to analyze everything before saying it, we would be more like a machine than a person. We simply can't be perfect with our choice of words. I can't think fast enough to filter out every possible misunderstanding while I'm speaking.  

One thing I have learned to do is to pray every time I say something regretful. When I try to make things right, I pray that God will turn it into a blessing. I want something good to come out of my "big mouth" moment. 

Sometimes the good thing is a closer relationship with that person. Sometimes the good thing is a lesson about extending grace to others. God is always happy to honor a request to turn something regretful into something good. 

We all have moments when we feel beat up by the world. And the things that come out of our mouths sometimes reflect that internal hurt. Sometimes I'm just plain exhausted and the filter on my mouth is wore out too.

I think we all need to give each other a break and recognize that we all say things that perhaps we shouldn't say. Sometimes the best response to someone's big mouth is to extend grace and let it pass. Because we all have big mouth moments.