A shutting of mouths.

I just got off a two hour Skype call with one of my best girls. We went to the University together and were practically inseparable for a year, doing all types of crazy and not so crazy things.

She wanted me to teach her how to cook, so pretty much any time she was over at my house (which was every day) that year I would cook something for her “lesson.” The address was 1009 of the place I was living so our lessons were aptly named “Foods 1009.” At some point during the preparation of every meal I would make she would say in an excited tone, “This smells so good my teeth are sweating!”

What a doll.

We would take our own creamer to Panera, because, give me a break if you think I am going to pay $4 for a mocha just to study economics. Regular coffee was like $1.50 AND you got free refills.

We went to a few weddings together.

We garage-saled with fabulous finds to prove it.

We discovered how to use the camera on my laptop…..

….and then found out that it takes little or no time for 20-somethings to take on a more “maternal” role upon finding one’s old baby dolls from childhood while visiting your parents.

Anyway, we are great friends.

 Life has since taken both of us hither and thon, living on opposite sides of the state, seeing each other only a few times a year, but fortunately we are blessed with a friendship that can pick up where we left off.

As we were chatting she mentioned how she had just done a little study on Zechariah in Luke and was interested to see how the whole story unfolded. Zechariah is going about his job when an angel appears and says right away, “Zechariah, your prayers have been heard,” and then proceeds to tell him that a son will be born to him and his wife who will do spectacular things for the kingdom of God and literally be a mouthpiece to the nations.

But what does Zechariah do? Does he throw his arms around the angel in jubilation? No. Does he fall down and say, “Be unto me as you have said”? Negative. He says to the angel, “How do I know you are telling the truth? Are you sure about this? After all, it isn’t physically possible for what you just said to come true.”

                Can I just say that THAT is not the kind of boldness you and I want?

The angel of course rightfully responded by saying, “Well, if that’ how you feel about it, then you just won’t be able to speak until it comes to completion.”

My friend said the most interesting thing to me, “Look at that! God muted Zechariah so that he wouldn’t curse God’s blessings.” Isn’t that such a curious thing?! I have never thought of that before! And then I of course thought, “How many times SHOULD I have been muted because I was just running my mouth, cursing something that was actually a blessing of God?”

I don’t really have specific examples in my mind tonight yet, but I just wanted to share that great nugget with you. I need to be careful with what I say so as not to be worthy of a holy “muting.” Think of all the praises Zechariah could have given in those 9-odd months! Think of how he could have shared God’s faithfulness—God fulfills his promises-- that whole time! But, no. Silence. I want a mouth that praises, even if it is in blessings I don’t recognize as blessings at face value.