“Having A Big Mouth Is Not Always Bad”

For a TV Show that was only on for one year, the “Honeymooners” was a classic. Most people from my generations remember Ralph Kramden as the loveable buffoon who constantly shot himself in the foot. When his latest scheme would come crashing down, he would often shout in desperation, “YOU KNOW WHAT NORTON, I’VE GOT A BIG MOUTH… A BIG BIG MOUTH…” 

Maybe the reason I liked Ralph was that he ultimately realized that he wasn’t what he thought he was and came to grips with it… he was humbled and accepted it ….. at least until the next episode.  

I was reminded of Ralph the other night while meeting with a group of friends who share about their life in Christ. I had mentioned that I was having difficulty embracing a particular situation … perhaps there was even a small hint of complaining and desperation. One of my good friends mentioned “well Dave you used to speak a lot about “finishing strong” and it looks like this is a situation where God is calling you to “finish strong”……. hmmmmmm, I thought for a moment and then exclaimed , “you know what Frank, I’ve got a BIG MOUTH… A BIG BIG MOUTH”….MR FINISHING STRONG…. BOY OH BOY OH BOY….” 

As I pondered this a bit more, I thought sometimes it can be a good thing to proclaim something that you strongly believe…it’s good because you’ve thrown down the gauntlet and others can call you to it. And I want to be called to it. In this case I want to FINISH STRONG. I need help in finishing strong and I want to be called to it when I’m wimping out.

When we seek to do God’s will, we can be confident that our good friends will be at our side to help us, to encourage us, to pick us up when we fall, …. and even more importantly we will have the Lord himself at our side. 

I sometimes wish they had one last episode of the “Honeymooners”, where one of Ralph’s crazy schemes actually works, where he actually wins the lottery, gets the promotion, wins the Raccoon Golf Championship ….. and there is Ralph with Alice and Norton smiling and dancing and even crying….. you did it… Ralph you did it. 

So let’s think big when it comes to pushing all our chips into the middle for the Lord. Even if we fail in our latest endeavor for the Lord, it’s only a temporary failure because He will never leave us and in the end WE WILL FINISH STRONG. 

And remember, “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Is. 40:29-31) And that is very good news.