This morning I squeezed way too much toothpaste out of the tube. I tried to stuff it back in there, turning the little tube upside down and trying to “reverse squeeze” the extra toothpaste back into the tube. No luck and I hate too much toothpaste on my toothbrush! There I was stuck with messy toothpaste and nothing to do but wash it down the sink.
Sometimes our words can be like that. We speak before we think and there lay our words out there for all to see. We say things about people and to people that we wish we could take back. Maybe we tattle on people and gossip without even knowing the effects until we are found out. Then we wish we could squeeze those words back into the tube. As hard as we try to reverse squeeze or suck those words back into our mouth, they are already out of the tube and impossible to take back.
But that’s where forgiveness comes in. We can ask those that are hurt to forgive us. We can always ask forgiveness from the One who knows how to clean up the mess. Jesus takes that messy toothpaste and washes it down the sink never to be brought up again. Pay attention to the “toothpaste tube”… And I don’t mean the one you use when brushing your teeth but rather the one that has the tongue flopping around inside it!! Make sure only what is necessary comes out. Have a tattle-free day!
