Monday, December 21, 2009

Tongues

A few weeks ago Ivan stuck out his tongue in jest and I noticed something weird. He had a bald spot. Yes, you read that right, a bald spot, on his tongue. Just off to the side was a very smooth circle on his tongue. I asked if his tongue hurt at all and he said no. I resolved to keep an eye on it and see what happened. I asked him to stick out his tongue the next day and the bald spot was a little smaller and it looked like taste buds where growing back in the middle but on the other side of his tongue there was another little bald spot. So I took to Google and searched (I think I typed in "smooth bald spots on child tongue"). We think he had a case of Geographic Tongue. Apparently it's of no concern but it sometimes happens and "they" don't know why. It's characterized by smooth patches of the tongue that show up in different locations on the tongue but that do grow back. I checked his tongue a few more times and then promptly forgot about it because it didn't bother him at all. Then today, I remembered so I had Ivan stick out his tongue and lo and behold his tongue looks normal. I think I exclaimed, "Why Ivan, your tongue is healed!" To which he replied, "Jesus made me better, he swam from here (pointing to his heart) up to here (his mouth) and made my tongue better."

Made me pause and think of this:

James 3:5-10
Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.


Dear Jesus,
Please swim from my heart to my tongue and heal it.
Amen

1 comment:

Lyssy said...

that is so adorable what Ivan said!! aww...
I've had Geographic Toungue since I was about 7 or 8....it hurts sometimes, but it all depends on what I eat. If I eat acidic foods,or spicy stuff, it flares up. Like right now it feels raw and painful, and it's because I had tortilla soup tonight...Poor Ivan..just tell him to stay away from the tastebud burning spicy stuff!