One of my favorite keyboard shortcuts is Ctrl + Z. It instantly deletes the last action you took. Put a wrong word in, hit Ctrl + Z, it’s gone…just like it never happened.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had something like that in real life? Maybe yes, maybe no. In the case of words or actions, we don’t. Once they’re out there, they’re out there. A 2006 movie starring Adam Sandler titled, ‘‘Click,’’ had a similar twist to it. Sandler played a workaholic architect who finds a universal remote control that allowed him to fast forward or rewind moments in his life. It didn’t work out too well because the device interfered with his real-life choices.
Scripture says in Proverbs 25:11: “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances.” Have you ever said, perhaps, a good word at the wrong time? I did recently in conversation with my wife. I yelled out, “Ctrl Z, Ctrl Z, Ctrl Z,” but it didn’t work. She countered with two words, ‘Too late.’ I ended up in an all too familiar place called ‘timeout.’ Everyone, not just politicians and celebrities, has searched for the ‘undo’ button and failed to find it.
So we can say totally wrong words or we can say right words at the wrong time. Saying to someone, ‘‘Let’s go have some fun,’’ would normally be great but saying that to someone who just lost a loved one would be a disaster. Words can create and words can destroy. Words can heal and words can hurt and leave scars. So what is the answer to a wayward tongue? Prayer helps. Pausing and thinking for a moment before speaking is always a wise thing to do. Yeshua left us a good example of always having the right word for every situation. “Rise up and walk.” “Your sins are forgiven.” Even, “Scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites,” all perfectly spoken at the right time.
Fortunately we do have a Ctrl + Z for sin in our lives. In the sanctuary built by Moses and the temple built by Solomon, the blood of a goat was used on Yom Kippur to “cleanse” the sanctuary. How can blood be a cleanser? Only as it is represented by the blood of the Messiah, sacrificed for us. I heard a story once about a woman who was a prostitute. She would come home each night after ‘work’ and would get in the shower and scrub so hard with soap and a brush that she would bleed. She was hoping to rid herself of the guilt that was tormenting her. There is no earthy soap, not even Ivory that can wash away our sins. Only He can make can make us white as snow!
So remember Ctrl + Z will only work on your PC for deleting words. Pray hard, speak wisely, follow the Master. Maybe I’ll look for a picture of apples set in silver to hang in our house as a reminder. Perhaps I can avoid ‘timeout’ next time. There are no remote controls that we can fast forward, rewind, stop, or even pause our lives. Every moment is precious. I’d like to leave you with a few Yiddish quotes. A blow is forgotten; a spoken word lingers on. A blow will heal but words you feel. A wise man knows what he says; a fool says what he knows. Words should be weighed and not counted. Until next time, Shalom.
Picture originally found here
