I have a big mouth. By that I mean I have what I lovingly call the “Peter Syndrome.” Those of you who are familiar with the New Testament might figure out (and rightly so!) that by “Peter” I am talking about the apostle Peter. You see, like Peter I have a habit of shooting off my mouth at the wrong time. However, unlike Peter who would shoot off his mouth because of his zeal for Jesus, a lot of times I shoot off my mouth to just try and sound witty, but then my words come out sounding, well, just plain dumb. So, in retrospect, I probably shouldn’t be calling it the “Peter Syndrome” after all.
Case in point: The other night the company where my husband works had their end of the year party – (think Christmas party without “Christ”). My husband had previously given one of his co-workers a copy of my book The God of All Comfort. This fellow came up to me and told me how he had read the majority of it, and gave me some nice compliments. So what do I say: “Oh, thank you, that was nice.” But then to not just leave it there, I had to add: “I guess it’s something off my bucket list.” WHAT???
Of course the Holy Spirit, being the gentleman that He is, waited patiently until the next morning during my quiet time, and then reminded me of my “bucket list” words. I suddenly realized how idiotic that must have sounded; and I also realized that I had given my Father no glory at all. I was crushed, and immediately turned to my Lord asking for forgiveness.
Here’s the great thing: He immediately forgave me, free and clear – no condemnation! It is so true that His compassion never fails and His mercies are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-23). What a great loving Father!
So now what? I keep on moving forward, and I don’t look back! And I ask the Lord to give me listening ears that are so tuned into Him that the words I speak lift and encourage others; and, most importantly, hopefully turn them to the shining light of Jesus – the One who loves us more than we can think or imagine…
The God Of All Comfort 