October 27, 2010
Hush my Mouth
Sharon Jaynes
Today's Truth
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye! How can you say to your brother, ‘let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?" (Matthew 7:3, 4 NIV).
Friend to Friend
I couldn't believe it. The announcement of one of the most important days of my life…my dream come true… and there was a misprint! A horrible misprint. My husband and I got married in a small eastern North Carolina town, on a beautiful August afternoon. There's not a lot going on in Rocky Mount, so weddings and funerals get full coverage. My wedding picture, in all its bridal glory, was a 4x5 crisp black and white photo displayed in the local section of the paper. Under my smiling face read the caption…Mrs. Steven Hush Jaynes.
I was mortified! My mother-in-law did not have a lapse in judgment when Steve was born. She did not name him HUSH. His middle name is Hugh. Oh my goodness. What were those people thinking? How could they be so careless? Didn't they realize I would cut that picture out and put it in my wedding album for all eternity? Didn't they understand the teasing that would surely follow that misprint? Didn't they understand how important this was? Hush! I was furious. My only hope was that the even smaller town where I was actually born would also run the wedding announcement. They did. A few days after discovering the "hush" dilemma, the tiny newspaper from Spring Hope, North Carolina arrived. I unfolded the page and there, as big as day, was my wedding picture. This one was 5 x 7 and underneath it read…Mrs. Steven Hush Jaynes. Oh my glory! Now I was crying.
On the same day, I received the newspaper from my husband's hometown of over 500,000. Underneath my itty bitty wedding picture were the words…you guessed it…Mrs. Steven Hush Jaynes!
Suddenly the truth began to sink in. This was not the error of inept newspapers. It was my fault. When I print, I'm a bit sloppy and my "g" seldom closes, looking like an "s." I guess it looks a lot like an "s." So now it was time for me to hush.
Have you ever been in a situation where you were blaming someone for a mishap and suddenly realized you were the one at fault? Have you ever pointed the finger at someone and then realized you were the problem? Jesus said it this way, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye! How can you say to your brother, ‘let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?" (Matthew 7:3, 4)
I have since learned that when you point a finger at someone, there are at least three other fingers pointing back at yourself. The best way to avoid that is not to point the finger at someone in the first place.
Jesus went on to say, "First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" (Matthew 7:5). I don't know about you, but I have plenty of sawdust in my own life to keep me busy.
I still put the newspaper announcements in our wedding album. It is a great reminder of two truths. Number one: August 16, 1980 was one of the happiest days of my life. Number tw when I start casting blame or pointing out faults, I need to take a good look in the mirror and hush.
Let's Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, sometimes I am so quick to blame someone else for my mistakes. Help me to always examine my own heart and let You take care of the rest. Thank You for the embarrassing reminders that I am a work in progress and You are not finished with me yet.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
Now It's Your Turn
Can you think of a time when you blamed someone else for a difficult situation only to discover that you were the problem?
Can you think of a time that you wish you had "hushed up" instead of getting upset with someone?
Today was a fun devotion. I hope it made you smile. Now, to finish it off, read Job 40:4b and make it part of your day. As you read it, think about this…Your hand is made to perfectly fit over your mouth. I wonder if that was Divine DesignJ
Does today's devotion remind you of an incident where you pointed a finger and it came right back at you? I hope you can laugh at it today? Click on www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes and tell me your story.
More From The Girlfriends
Words! They are difficult to control sometimes. If you would like to learn more about how to use your words wisely, you'll want to read The Power of a Woman's Words by Sharon Jaynes. And for a more in-depth look at what God's Word has to say about the words we speak, see The Power of a Woman's Words Bible Study Guide.
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Originally published Wednesday, 27 October 2010.
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