For those who know me well, it comes as no surprise that I’m working on keeping a civil or silent tongue in my head. It's not that I'm mean, just prone to be snarky. I didn’t have the best day yesterday, so rather than succumbing to frustration and the guilt associated with failing (again), I walked the dog. He’s cheaper than therapy and keeps all my secrets. I also use the quiet time (since Sando’s not a chatterbox) to pray, be still, and listen to hear answers to problems I’m facing.
Sunday’s sermon was about scheduling time with God. Multi-tasking wasn’t first on the list, but as it increases the amount of time I assign to prayer and devotion, it’s not a bad way to pass time while walking the dog, elevating my heart rate, and worshipping in the cathedral of the woods.
I stumbled upon a new mantra as the dog and I found our walking rhythm, “mind my heart and bind my tongue.” It was a prayer. It is my prayer.
There are so many times when, not thinking, we wound with words. I explained to my daughter that word wounds are like pricking balloons with a pin. Stab all the balloons you want while they’re un-inflated and in the bag; the damage cannot be seen. However, try to blow those balloons up. When they don’t inflate, you find yourself dealing with the very real consequences of actions previously taken without much thought.
Is it really worth it to have the last word? Get in that quip that seemed so witty in your head? To chime in just to hear the sound of your own voice? Really? REALLY?
Today’s already a better day than yesterday, partly because I continued repeating my mantra as we walked this morning, my spiritual guide and me. Who knew that walking my dog could carry me closer to Grace? Just another reminder, there is abundance in my life I haven’t even seen yet….my dog, seriously? On a chilly Fall day when you need it, just one more bit of evidence that God is Good.
What’s your mantra?
Rochelle Wilson blogs at Treat Me to a Feast about her life lived forward, reviewed backward, through the lens of faith. She’s a PK (Pastor’s Kid), who’s been a Baptist church musician since she was five. Always a dancer and athlete, as an adult she turned to liturgical dance to deepen her personal worship. It worked. Rochelle laughs a lot, is married to her first love and prom date nearly 20 years ago. Together God gave them two children and a boxer who is the other love of her life, confidante, therapist, and physical trainer.