WASHING OUT THE POTTY MOUTH!

There I was, I'm presuming innocent, sitting on top the toilet lid in our cold bathroom with a bar of Ivory hanging out of my mouth.  I remember thinking and maybe even saying out loud, "I like the taste of soap," with a nasty little grin, looking at my Mother as if her punishment would not stop me from saying whatever vile phrase that put me there in the first place.  The good thing was my parents disciplined us for saying things such as fart, shut-up, and stupid...so I am most certain it was probably a slip up of one of those 3 infamous words.
 
My Mom however knew something I didn't, as she wasn't at all concerned about my rebellious outbursts against her discipline.  She confidently knew that I wouldn't like the taste of soap for very long.

I'm not sure how many minutes it took on that toilet seat, but there was definitely a progressive transformation that happened that day.

First, my taste buds gradually changed from a flavor of freshness to a numbing chemical-like essence.  I bit down harder on the once tastier bar and tried to distinguish what exactly was happening.  My cheeks became slightly inflated, my lips rapidly fattened, and drool started pouring out the sides of my mouth and off my chin like a faucet.  My teeth were coated with a slimy film and were barely hanging on to the once hard & firm bar of soap.  Every indention and crevice in my front teeth were now filled with a gummy texture.  They steadily sank deeper into the now slimy ball of nastiness.  I didn't dare swallow the thick residue, so a fountain of spit & despair flowed down my face and into my lap.  My Mom peeked around the corner as if to say, "you still liking that soap?"

And there it was, the beginning of my defeat.

The sorrow began to bubble in my mind and its first reaction started in my mouth as the discomfort increased.  It then trickled down into my heart reminding me that I didn't want to be a potty mouth, and then the tears began to well up my sad eyes and they fell overflowing down my cheeks, my blubbering apology quickly followed.

Mom had the victory!!

Unfortunately, since my younger years I have learned many naughty words and phrases.  I also have been a contributor to the habits of gossip, slander, and coarse jokes.  For a long time this was just a life-style and I had no remorse.  Things changed when I surrendered my life to Jesus and became aware that this practice was harmful to those He loves.

And I was reminded again that I don't want to be a potty mouth.

As Christian woman we are urged to refrain from communicative sins.  This includes those that I mentioned earlier, but also those that are more silent; such as eye-rolling, head-tilting, and shoulder-shrugging, etc.  I don't need to go into detail explaining these non-verbal contributions to everyday dialogue.  I am sure you recognize them and can spot negative body language a mile away!

Any form of communication that is attached to a bad attitude is most likely not a Godly response and is chalked up as sin.

And so we clean up our potty mouths because God asks us to; actually He Tells Us To!  

~I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak..  (Matthew 12:36) 

 ~Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.  (Ephesians 4:29) 

~A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.  (Proverbs 16:28)

~Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.  (Proverbs 20:19)

I am sure you can agree with me when I say that I don't want to be a corrupt, dishonest, whispering, slandering, secret-telling, babbling, strife spreader!  I don't want to be known for that, nor do I want to infect the people around me with it.  It is always wiser to want what God wants for you; more then doing what may come easy, it's often the subtle sins that move us out of God's favor.  He certainly gives us these verses for our own benefit.

It's not ideal for us to walk around with ivory bars in our mouths, or better yet stuffing them into other people's mouths.  So we are just going to have to clean up, I'm speaking to myself, and do the right thing without it!  

So the next time you are in a less then loving conversation, or you start a sentence by speaking something like, "I probably shouldn't say this but..."

STOP RIGHT THERE!!

Take a second, shut your eyes and picture a fat-lipped, tear-filled, little blubbering girl with saliva dripping onto her lap.  Simply change your subject, your expression, or your tone and allow God to have his way in cleaning things up.  You no longer have to be a potty mouth!

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