Within 10 seconds of sitting down in my Lyft ride one recent morning, I told the driver which airline I was flying and casually said something along the lines of “Let’s hope the traffic gods are kind.”
He didn’t respond.
I sat back and immediately thought to myself, Why did I say that? I’ve never said that before in my life. My mind returned to Sunday’s tournament TV coverage when the announcer said a player had “the golf gods” to thank for a fortuitous bounce.
With 90 minutes of terrible traffic to the airport, I had plenty of time to ponder my words. It’s harmless, I thought, a turn of phrase. Yet, I knew that wasn’t true.
I believe in one God, the Creator of land and sea and everything that has breath in between, the giver of life.
I don’t believe in traffic gods or golf gods or any other small “g” gods, and even a casual mention of such an arbitrary force muddies my testimony.
And the truth is that I’ve had many incredible faith-based conversations over the years, from the back of a cab, Uber, etc.
The Bible speaks often about our words:
Proverbs 21:23 says Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity. (NIV)
Similarly, James 3:3- 6 isn’t subtle about the power of the tongue.
“When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. (NIV)
What we say casually or in the heat of battle can profoundly impact our witness to unbelievers and believers alike.
PRAYER: Father God, we thank you for forgiving us of all the unfortunate words we wish we could take back. Help us guard our hearts and our tongues so we can be better used to advance your kingdom.