Shut Mouth Grace

In the Bible, James tells us “but no human being can tame the tongue, It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”(James 3:8-10).

Last evening with my prayer group, we talked about “shut mouth grace”, again. This has been a hot topic that has come up quite frequently over the past few months. A few years ago, I had a good Christian friend tell me that her pastor had preached a sermon on “Shut Mouth Grace.” So, what is Shut Mouth Grace? It is the ability to “hold your tongue”, be silent and listen, not say a word when someone says something hurtful, harsh or mean-spirited. It is the ability to rise above the circumstance of the present moment and give a person grace by not responding. It is “turning the other cheek” when insulted, persecuted and not seeking to retaliate or take revenge. It is swallowing our pride and not speaking hastily. This is easier said, than done. But I have learned from experience, it is far better to administer Shut Mouth Grace than to try to “eat my words or put out the forest fires that they have caused.” If we are honest, we have all “been there, done that.” We wish we wouldn’t have said something in haste. We wish that we could “take back” the words that flew out with fire and venom. We wish that we could undo the harm caused. But once out, words can never be taken back. Perhaps, this is why in Proverbs 14:3 it says “A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride, but the lips of the wise protect them.” We need to be wise protectors of ourselves and others by keeping our words harnessed, or kind, sweet, encouraging for building others up, not tearing them down.

How many relationships would be improved by shut mouth grace? If we held our tongues and did not spew painful daggers out of our mouths, could marriages be saved? I don’t claim to have the answers. Proverbs 15:4 provides wisdom and insight “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.” Let’s seek to be life building encouragers and administer shut mouth grace whenever needed!