Me and My Big Mouth

by Hannah Hanzel

More times than not, my mouth gets me in trouble. Whether it’s a well-timed, snarky comment or an unfiltered word-vomit, I all too often find myself either needing to apologize or at least feeling a sense of obligation to apologize (and there IS a difference.)

One time my family was at a missionary retreat overseas, and I was on the playground with some fellow MKs (Missionary Kids). One boy was giving me a hard time, calling me ugly and chasing me around the monkey bars. In retrospect, I think these emotional assaults may have been a ruse for his undying affection toward my six-year-old self, but I grew tired of his childish pursuit. I whirled around, faced him mano a mano and said, “If you want to see ugly, you should look in a mirror!” His smile disappeared, and an angry frown stole its place. His love no doubt was snuffed out with my one retort.

Another time, I was on a mission trip in Central America. Traveling village to village in our humble, rickety bus, I began to latch onto the language of the locals. One particular phrase became my clutch dash of culture as we would exit a village. In their language, I would yell, “God bless you!” out the window as we would drive off into the sunset. Near the end of our trip, I sang the phrase out to the local children who trailed behind our bus. As I sank back into my springy bus seat, one of our translators sat down by me. “Hannah,” he said with a wince, “Do you know what that phrase means?” He went on to explain that I wasn’t saying “God bless you” but was actually saying a very offensive cuss word because of how I was uttering the dialect. No wonder the villagers seemed to laugh with glee as we pulled away. There was a crazy white girl cursing out the bus window with a wave good-bye.

A few years ago, my big sister’s wedding was approaching. While she’s older, we’ve always had a sort of role reversal with me as the protective, courageous one and her as the gentle, loveable one. Jess loves people fiercely, no matter who they are, or where they come from. As we prepared for her wedding, I was given the privilege of being her maid of honor, which meant I got to be her body guard, planned her parties and kept everyone in place, all of which were my niche talents. The power went to my head one day when a bridesmaid gave my sister some trouble, leaving Jess crying and hurt. I called said bridesmaid and left a well-worded message outlining every reason no one really wanted her at the wedding anyway. I said some things I shouldn’t, but I just didn’t care. She didn’t come to the wedding… I wonder why…

Me and my big mouth. Sometimes it’s good to be outspoken and bold, courageously saying what others won’t. Things like…

1.     “You’re valuable.” Never underestimate the power of straight up telling someone their value. Don’t be shy. We don’t tell each other enough how valuable they are to us personally, to our small group, to our family or to our church. First Peter 4:8-10 tells us to “keep loving one another earnestly” and to “serve one another.”

2.     “I’m sorry." I’m not good at this one. It takes humility, honesty and kindness to ask for forgiveness. Ephesians 4:32 says to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave us.” What if I made it my goal to always be the first to apologize? What would change in my heart?

My speech should always be angled toward building others up (Eph. 4:29), toward graciousness (Col. 4:6), gentleness (Prov. 15:1-2), wisdom (Prov. 17:8) and life (Prov. 18:20-21). How has your big mouth gotten you in trouble lately, and how have you chosen to be Christ-like in the aftermath?

Author Bio
Hannah Hanzel is an opinionated and passionate and loves sharing what God is doing in her often busy and complicated life. She strives to show God's glory in working as the Art Director for the Baptist Messenger, serving as a multi-client freelance graphic designer and communing with CRBC. When she's not working, you can find her sipping coffee in a hammock, watching classic '40s movies or going on an adventure with friends or family.