Matthew 12:36 - But I say unto you, That every idle word
that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
(KJV)
I have worked with teens for the last several years, and one of the things that
bothers me is the careless way they often speak to each other. I have developed
a couple of short workshops to show, in a hands-on, visible way, how our words
affect others. My favourite one is called "Do Your Words Raise People Up or
Weigh People Down?" When I was younger, I heard a speaker who said that once you
have spoken, what has been said can never be taken back, and that whoever you
were speaking to may forgive you your unkind words, but they would never forget.
That is a powerful thought: forgiven, but not forgotten.
Lately, it has shown up in my life that I am not as careful with my words as I
thought I was. During Vacation Bible School this past summer, my four-year-old
Isaac lay down on the floor and refused to sing or do the actions to the songs.
When asked why, he said, "I am not a singing and dancing guy."
That is almost a direct quote from me. The day before, he was trying hard to do
the actions and sing along. Like me, his gift is in the enthusiasm he brings,
not the actual singing, and he must have overheard me say to someone that he was
not really a singing and dancing guy.
Oh, my heart, that my careless words should take the joy out of singing for him.
I had to take him aside and tell him I had made a huge mistake, that he was a
great singing and dancing guy. He has since recovered from this, but it was a
wake-up call for me about taking care when I speak, even when I think others are
not listening.
Jesus always took care with the words He used with people. His words shared love
and wisdom, never gossip or malice. They brought hope and encouragement, never
insults or put-downs.
Prayer: Father God, we pray for Your help in guarding our tongues so we utter
words of hope and encouragement. We pray that we will not use our words in a
careless or thoughtless way that may wound the people around us, so that by our
words, people will know we are Christians. Amen.
Patricia Shepherd pickonpat@yahoo.com
Mission, British Columbia, Canada
Thanks to http://daily.presbycan.ca
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.