She and I, we sat together on her bed. She moved her eyes all around, avoiding mine.
"Why did you decide to brush your shorts instead of your teeth?"
I have stopped being shocked by the questions I hear flowing from my mouth. Surprise is the shock around here these days.
She shakes her head, mutters unheard words.
I place my hand under her chin, lift her wandering eyes toward mine. And just before I begin an unwelcome lecture, I glance down at her shorts, and see the spot.
That heart revealed was all the reminder I needed to take a deep breath, bridle my tongue (James 1:26).
And I am here, blessed by God, visiting her in her trouble (James 1:27). And she is here, visiting my longing heart, no longer named orphan.
And He is faithfully purifying me, and teaching me how to remove myself from the world.
"If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."
James 1:26-27 (NKJV)
