This new gift/sign at East West caught my eye last week. I laughed out loud, as I think we can all relate to that prayer! But—as the best humor does—it spurred some deeper thoughts.
Why do we say something and immediately wish we hadn’t? We must know better, or we wouldn’t immediately regret it. My best understanding is that we live in our likes and dislikes; our personal preferences. We like to think that we are communicating with someone, but sometimes we're just expressing our own desires or frustrations.
The cure for the “lack-of-hand-over-mouth” syndrome is to cultivate an attitude of service. When we view everything we say (and ultimately everything we even think) as a service to others, we are always kind. We sometimes speak in the name of truth (note the small “t”), but Truth is always kind. Being factually correct serves no one if harm is done. If what you are saying serves no purpose, silence is better.
“Lord, keep your hand over my mouth when I am tempted to merely express truth, but teach me to always to serve and to always want only to share Truth.” Then God can put His hand to better use elsewhere!