Wednesday, September 1, 2010

God Knows What I Meant

"Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord." -- Psalm 139:4

I am a person who doesn't always phrase things correctly when I'm talking. I'm not referring to grammar. Sometimes what I'm saying in my mind and what I'm saying with my tongue really aren't the same thing at all. That can be a real problem.

I'm so grateful that God always knows what I really mean. I can say anything to Him and He understands my intentions, whether that's what came out or not. I figure He sometimes gets a good laugh. Other times He's probably pretty disappointed that I didn't think a particular thought through before I let it go out into the world.

Have you ever done that? Yeah, probably so. Most of us have had one of two of those open-mouth-insert-foot moments. Not fun. But those times can be educational. Embarrassment is a wonderful learning tool.

I've learned that if I have something particularly sensitive to talk about, I ask God ahead of time to give me the words. I don't want to hurt people. I don't want to be insensitive. I want to be one of those people who always knows what to say to lift people up and to help them on their journey.

Oh, I still sometimes say the wrong thing at the wrong time. I phrase things awkwardly. Words get twisted. I suppose I'll always have some of that. But I'm grateful that God knows my heart and He knows what I really meant to say.