The Sheer Sweetness of Sliced Lips: Why I Marvel at God's Chosen Retribution
Hey everyone! It’s been a while, hasn't it? Life has been...well, life. You know how it goes, ups and downs, twists and turns. But one thing I’ve been meditating on lately, something that truly fills me with awe for our Creator, is the concept of divine retribution. It’s not always easy to grasp, especially when we see suffering in the world, but when you look closely, you start to see a beautiful kind of justice at play, a sweetness in the most unlikely places. I mean, who else but God could find beauty in the idea of…sliced lips?
Okay, okay, I know that sounds jarring. But bear with me. There are times when we, in our humanness, speak words that are harmful, deceitful, or downright wicked. We betray secrets, we lie, we gossip—we use the very tool God gave us for connection and communication to do the exact opposite. Remember that time in college I completely embellished that story about the professor falling asleep in class? I knew it wasn't quite true, but the laughs I got made me feel so good in the moment. It was pure enjoyment. Only looking back, you start to see how little things like that can erode trust, how they can chip away at the integrity of relationships. I wasn't living my best life then; those little lies were actually hurting me more than anyone else.
That's where I think we can start to understand why scriptures like Proverbs 10:18 resonate so deeply: "Whoever conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool." It's a pretty stark statement, right? And you know, while I never thought of my little embellishments as hateful, I can see now how that dishonesty was a seed of something ugly. It’s like the Bible is telling us, “Hey, your words are powerful. They can build up, or they can tear down.”
I remember reading this verse initially and feeling a little stung. It was like God was holding a mirror up to me. It was time for me to re-examine my interactions and words towards others. It was not a quick or easy fix, but a continuous work.
Then, there's the passage in Psalm 120:2, "Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue." This isn’t just a plea for protection from others, it’s also a plea for protection from our *own* harmful words. It’s asking God to help us control our speech, to speak truth and kindness rather than deceit and pain. How many times have I wished I could take back words I’d spoken? It’s an amazing power we have, this ability to create beauty or destruction with our language, and it's clear God holds us accountable.
And this is where the “sliced lips” concept starts to become clearer for me. It's not about a literal physical act, but more about a spiritual surgery. In our life we may fall out of tune with God's wishes. We may stray, and it may require a more drastic intervention, and that's okay. It’s God’s way of cleansing, of cutting away the untruths and unkindness so we can speak from a place of authenticity and love. It’s a way of saying, “No more of this poison.” He removes the source of our sin, so that we can better connect with him. The bitterness of the initial sting is quickly replaced with the sweet realization that God has worked through us for the betterment of us.
It's like pruning a rose bush. You have to cut away the dead branches to allow the beautiful new blooms to flourish. Sometimes, it feels like God does the pruning with a heavier hand, but it's always for our good. I think about the times I've been called out, challenged on my words, it didn’t feel great at the time, but it’s always led me to a deeper understanding of myself and of my place in God’s plan.
I'm still a work in progress, of course. I stumble, I say things I regret. But what comforts me is knowing that God’s love and grace are always there to pick me back up, to help me heal, and to encourage me to speak words that build up, not tear down.
So, next time you catch yourself about to say something less than truthful, or less than kind, pause for a moment. Reflect on the impact your words will have and whether they’re aligned with God’s will. What will you choose to say? What will you choose to create?
What areas in your life do you need to more carefully examine your words?