Words, Feet, and Water
Growing up, I remember how my Dad would always say that a “closed mouth gathers no feet”. Apparently, Profitt men have a prolific habit of sticking their feet in their mouth. Give us a conversation long enough, and it would be a pretty sure bet that something awkward, embarrassing, or offensive would stumble out of our mouths and make it weird. My Dad would use this expression whenever I was throwing a fit, or trying to be funny (and not succeeding), or complaining about something. Eventually, he didn’t even need to finish the sentence. All it took was, “Closed mouth,” in the way some people use, “Glass houses”. He was trying to warn me off whatever I was about to say because he knew how it would go from his own experience. My Dad was so good at gathering feet that my Mom actually gave him a Christmas ornament for it. It was a Raggedy Andy doll with its foot rubber-banded to its mouth. We would hang it on the tree every year as my Mom told stories about my Dad. We would laugh and reminisce, even Dad. Then, Dad would have some eggnog, and by the end of the day there would be a new story to tell. A few years ago, I inherited my own Raggedy Andy doll. Apparently, I have gathered enough feet to take the Christmas heat off my Dad. I come by it honestly, for anyone wondering.
Today’s scripture is from Isaiah 55:10-11. It is about the power of words and the power of intention. Isaiah tells us that when we speak, when our words go “forth from our mouths”, they shall not return “void”. Rather, they will do our “will” and achieve “the end for which (we) sent (them).” Wow, that is a tremendous amount of power and responsibility! Talk of reaping what you sow. The Lord is literally equating our words and our intentions to the rain and water that makes the earth fertile . . . or not.
I must admit to an anxiety attack when first reflecting on this passage. My mind started doing a greatest hits reel of my best foot-in-mouth moments. As a great gatherer of feet, I know that many of my trespasses in life come from my mouth-- my snark, my whining, my nagging and venting, my penchant for mansplaining and pontificating, and for arguing when I should be listening-- these are legion. I admire my wife because she is really good at not gathering feet. She holds her tongue. She listens, whereas I mostly erupt. I could claim that there is a certain authenticity to being an erupter, but that would be too self-serving. Really, it is probably a lack of discipline and too much emotional recklessness.
I also find myself repentant. How in the world does my wife tolerate me? How do my sons? My students? My friends and colleagues? So many words have I spoken and so many feet have I gathered! If Scrooge and Marley had chains, I have feet. And also my judgmentalness and hypocrisy. I am usually the first to feel wronged by the things other people say or don’t say. There is nothing like a gatherer of feet to notice the foot in someone else’s mouth. Lord, please, please, please forgive me my tresspasses!
But in the end, I also see hope in this scripture, even for an erupter like me. I see the Lord reminding me that words are life’s water, and they should not be used lightly. He reminds me to spend more time NOT opening my mouth, to spend more time listening and understanding. He tells me to think before I speak, and when I speak, to put more energy into voicing praise and comfort and gratitude, to “Be more heart, and less attack”.
I am sure that I will gather more feet as the years continue. Knowing a thing and doing a thing are not always the same, especially because my foot-chewing seems to be genetic. But I am working on balancing the equation. If a closed mouth gathers no feet, a willing heart adds feather to the heel. And so I will endeavor to listen more before I swallow my whole leg.
Amen.
Author: Casey Profitt, Social Studies Dept.
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