BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL football players were required to wear a mouthguard. The purpose, according to state athletic safety rules, was to add another layer of proven protection for our teeth.
Where I lived (a large city now) many of our opponents regarded us then as “hicks from the sticks.”
Obviously they were unskilled as poets. Additionally, their sophomoric attempts at derision only signaled to my teammates and I that serious rhetorical combat was not on the table, as we never engaged unarmed opponents in a battle of wits.
Still we suspected the school board wanted us to wear mouth guards so as to diminish or eliminate at least one possibility of us looking the part of said “hicks”. But, I regress.
To make sure the guards were as efficient as possible, our own teeth impressions were sunk into the guard material. They were specially designed for individual use.
Mouthguards protect teeth when they are properly placed in the mouth, but because they take some getting used to, some players won’t wear them in practice and try to get away with taking them out during a game. Guards can’t help anyone unless they’re installed.
If one is wise, they will wear mouthgards when engaged in full contact sports, AND metaphorically speaking, when engaged in full contact human interaction.
There have been moments when I wish I’d had a guard in my mouth. Not because of incoming danger, but because of what came out. I am addressing those many times when, in a flash of temper or unthought-through emotions, I said things I didn’t mean. Or I didn’t intend for my comments to “sound” the way they did. Tone is important too! I have communicated poorly. It is a common human problem. And once spoken, words may not be retrieved. I have been a dark character in others' lives though I never wanted to be.
As the photo suggests, we know precisely how to use language skillfully to send a message with double meaning. Sometimes just for fun, true. However, sometimes we mean to hurt; either way, the recipient can feel it. Unfortunately, at least two people will have wounds from a mouth pouring careless words, a mouth without a guard.
In a world where new gadgets abound, there exists a device that can translate from one language to almost any other, simply by speaking into it. Amazing! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were a device that could intercept hateful and hurtful speech before it crossed our lips, and replace it with the kind and helpful remarks we should have said?
I have good news and sad news. The sad news is—few people actually want that protection. They disdain the idea of censorship! If they do want it, they may not be willing to pay the price to receive it. Or maybe they don't know how to get it. The good news is: such a ‘device’ is ours for the asking and works perfectly 24/7. Yes, I said, “Free” with your subscription to Faith! It’s been available for centuries. Simply ask for it this way:
“Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Ps 141:3.
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