“I keep forgetting that line at the end of measure 26!”
It was a month before Easter and I was singing in a small choir. The choir director was my good friend and after he heard my plaintive cry, he smiled and pulled me close so that he could whisper in my ear, “Just sing watermelon!”
“What?”
He chuckled. “It’s a well-known singer’s tip. If you forget the words and you are singing in a group, just mouth the word, watermelon. No matter what the song, it looks like you are singing the correct words.”
That sounded too easy so I tried it while singing in front of a mirror with a song playing in the background. It was true. I later learned that others have added additional words like, “Watermelon…cantaloupe…strawberry.” Actors have also used this trick when they are in the background of a scene and need to pretend they were having a conversation with each other. It is an effective technique to trick people into thinking we are honestly and accurately fulfilling our roles and obligations but simply going through the motions.
There are many words that religious people say to convince their audience of their sincerity. Words like light, faith, spirit, and inner strength all permeate the lexicon of many religions, including Christianity. Like my faulty attempts to remember and sing the proper words, I have been lazy and negligent when I have spoken to seekers who are searching for God and have fallen back on these lofty words, spouting religious gibberish instead of memorizing God’s Word and clearly presenting the pure milk of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive, but the mouth of fools blurts out foolishness.
Proverbs 15:2 (CSB)
Watermelon.
I pray to God that my speech will always be seasoned with the grace and truth of the Good News of Jesus Christ. I don’t want to give the appearance of speaking words of wisdom but simply going through the motions and speaking foolish gibberish. I want my speech to always accurately and clearly present God’s Word as His ambassador in this world.
Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.
The Bereans Blog 