Many children, teens, and some adults use the ol' "I'm sick and I don't feel good" bit to get out of going to work, school, taking a test, and avoiding confrontation, and most of the time, for other people, it works! They could blow dry their foreheads to give the allusion of fever and use pale powder to feign the color being drained from their faces due to sickness. I tried it all. However, I was never able to lie about it even if I tried. I will tell you why.

I was born with benign migratory glossitis, or as some call it, geographic tongue. Most people don't know what this is but the literal Google definition is "a condition that causes harmless tongue patches resembling smooth, red islands." There are over 3 million diagnosis a year for this odd thing, and each one is different. Some tongues are more sensitive to salty or spicy things or have enhanced taste buds, but for me, my tongue changes colors based on my health. So, whenever I'm sick, my tongue will turn completely white with red patches on it, and that's why I could never lie about being sick. Mom knew of my condition, and every time I would try and fake being sick, she would say, "Stick out your tongue." Busted.

Although I was never able to play hooky from school, when I actually was sick, my harmless condition really made it easy to tell. My condition is completely harmless and has saved a lot of doctors visits to tell if I was sick. It also caused quite a scare when we discovered that my tongue didn't react well with Pepto Bismol and turned jet black. In a way, I have my personal diagnostic right in my mouth. It's such a weird thing, but oddly enough, my tongue has brought me back to a lot of things spiritually. For example, the Bible talks about how the tongue is a very powerful and can be a wicked thing. In James 3:5-8 it reads, "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea , is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison."

My tongue reminds me to speak truth, much like this verse. It may seem cheesy, but I'm always looking for something to challenge my everyday walk with the Lord. It think this is perfect thing to remind me about the power of our words. I challenge you to find a reminder of a trait we must practice. Maybe it is a tiny freckle, reminding us that sometimes we have faith as small as a mustard seed and we must seek the Lord in order to have faith that can move mountains.

Take the challenge. Act upon it. Practice it. Live it out.