Dead (Wo)Men Tell No Tales

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20

When we were in high school at Maranatha Baptist Academy in Watertown, Wisconsin, there was nothing my twin sister Karen and I enjoyed more than making people laugh. While both of us were basically goodie two-shoes when it came to following the majority of the school's abundant rules, we nevertheless found ourselves in trouble semi-regularly when our mouths got the best of us.

Nancy and Karen

The problem followed me into adulthood. At times it was the desire to make people laugh, at times it was the desire to share something inappropriate, and at times it was the desire for sympathy. Always it was saying too much. 

James 2:2 says, "For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body." According to this passage, if I am going to be a person who is controlled by the Spirit of God rather than by my old nature, my tongue—that "final frontier" of self-control—needs to be tamed.

I have found the key to victory is to be dead. Dead people don't say innappropriate things to get a laugh. Dead people don't hold pity parties and invite their families. Dead people don't overreact if they are being misunderstood or maligned. In fact, dead people never misspeak. So, if Jesus would be Lord of my tongue I must surrender to a life-infusing "crucifixion with Christ." 

By resisting the temptation to use my tongue to tear others down and instead using it to edify, I become a safe wife, mother and friend. After all, dead women tell no tales!

Image Public Domain - Pixabay

See "Angel Sheppard, MD (Missionary Dog) Extraordinaire!".

See The Myth of the "Perfect" Quiet Time.
See No Longer Playing the Part of the Martyr.