“Stop right there, ma’m,” the airport security woman said. “Keep your feet on the markers.” Those lining up behind me ready to pass through the magnetic archway rolled their eyes and sighed, but that didn’t stop her from sliding the gate-ribbon across their path, shutting down the line.

“We have to swab your hands,” she said, snapping on blue rubber-gloves. Then she brushed a small white tab over my hands, front and back.

“Wait here,” she said, walking away with the paper strip. When she returned, she was shaking her head.

“Uh oh,” I said.

“Yup.” Then she motioned to her cohort. “We have an RPD.”

“Follow me,” she said, as airport personnel gathered my carry-on bag, coat, computer, and shoes. When I tried to help, she said, “No. Don’t touch.”

Two women accompanied me into a small room with no windows and closed the door. Both pulled on rubber gloves, and I figured I was in for some excitement, but it turned out to be just a thorough pat-down. “Sensitive areas will be touched only with the backs of my hands,” she said.

“What are you looking for?” I said.

“Chemicals. You’re undergoing a resolution pat-down.” After she was through, she carefully took another paper strip and brushed it all over her gloves, then fed it into a machine resembling a heart monitor with a graph line across its screen.

After studying the results she said, “You’re clear, dear,” and set me free to board my scheduled flight to England. I wanted to ask questions but didn’t want to rock her security-boat, so gathered my things and silently walked away.

Sometimes it’s best to say nothing at all.

Maybe our tendency to say too much is why so many Scriptures deal with our mouths. We read about tongues speaking slander, strife, evil, deceit, lies, and perversion… and those are just for starters.

It also speaks of tongues of gentleness, kindness, singing, righteousness, joy, healing, and praises to God.

Apparently the choice is ours.

Words are important to God. We’re told in the Bible that all the books in the world couldn’t contain the things Jesus did, let alone everything else in other biblical categories. Yet God chose only certain words to include in our Bibles, each one significant.

Human words are important too, since they reveal our opinion of the words God gave us in the first place. If we use words of slander, lies, deceit, or perversion, it’s as if we’re throwing his word-choices back at him in favor of our own. If we believe his words and honor them with obedience, our mouths will speak gentleness, kindness, joy, and righteousness.

Proverbs tells us even a fool might appear wise if she keeps her mouth shut (i.e. me during the RPD), but a higher goal would be to go ahead and talk, but to make sure our words are pleasing to God.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21)