The Words of My Mouth, the Ponderings of My Heart
May the words of my mouth and the ponderings of my heart be received without shame.
Do the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart face the same direction right now?
📝Reflection
The poet places the words spoken outwardly and the thoughts held inwardly side by side, and asks that both be examined together. Usually we police only our speech and leave the heart alone — speaking politely while turning over something else within. But this ancient prayer sets both on the same scale. I long groomed only my mouth. Yet with age I learned that if the heart is crooked, even polished words eventually leak. The surest way to correct my speech was to first set right the heart the speech came from.
🌱Apply It Today
Today, when you speak politely while another feeling turns inside, just notice the gap. Noticing is the first honesty.
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
