The lips of the righteous feed many but fools die for lack of sense? Proverbs 10:21
It is Chinese New Year – Happy Year of the Dog! This is a treasured holiday for my husband and I love continuing the traditions in our home. The culture and foods surrounding these festival days are full of significance. Everyone is filled with hope for the year ahead. Blessings of health and prosperity are spoken to friends and relatives in earnest. What if everyday was a new year and I had the heart to speak words of life and blessing to everyone?
What comes forth from my lips is powerfully significant in my home. Everyday, my lips can speak life or death. My lips consume countless delicacies and cultural delights. They teach, taste, and touch. My lips communicate beyond words and cultural boundaries. They communicate to leave lasting impressions on myself and others. They embrace and communicate life. In this Year of the Dog, I pray my bark and bite are under God’s control and I can speak life!
Teach
Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord you know it, altogether. (Psalm 139:4) I know my words carry lots of power within my home. My lips can be used as an instrument of praise and speaking life or they can have a harsh, condemning bite in the same breathe. I have been working on listening to myself and reflecting on my words. It can be extremely humbling to hear my own words spoken back to me through the lips of my kids. My little twin girl has been reprimanding her twin brother and using my discipline techniques….”1, 2, 3,…be nice and give me back that toy!” It is humbling to know that my words are feeding the souls of my kids – leaving lasting impressions on them.
Taste
From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips. (Proverbs 18:20) God gave everyone the awesome ability to taste the delicacies He provides. This sense of taste brings satisfaction to my stomach and soul. For Chinese New Year, our family celebrated a feast of savory foods blended together in a hot pot. As the raw foods go into the pot and blend together it creates a rich broth. Foods can produce a richness and a strengthening to the body. Eating a good meal can yield enormous satisfaction and comfort to my soul. Taste can leave powerful sensations and lasting memories.
Touch
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.(Song of Songs 1:2) Kissing on the cheek can be a common greeting of hello in many cultures. Kissing can also be an intimate expression of love. I can remember the first time I kissed my husband. The first time I embraced and kissed my little ones. The feelings and the sense of touch from a kiss warms the heart and soul. It brings joy and delight to the giver and receiver. Lips of life can usher in warmth and life to the soul. God breathed life into each of us with His lips.
Lips of Life
Teach. Taste. Touch.
How am I using my lips to speak life into the world around me?
“Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” Col. 4:6