CARELESS WORDS

CARELESS WORDS

READ:  James 3:1-12

The  tongue is a small part

of the body, but it makes

great boasts. -  James 3:5

My daughter has had a lot of ill health recently, and her husband has been wonderfully caring and supportive.  “You have a real treasure there!” I said.

“You didn’t think that when I first knew him” she said with a grin.

She was quite right  When Icilda and Philip got engaged, I was concerned.  They were such different personalities.  We have a large and noisy family, and Philip is more reserved.  And I had shared my misgivings with my daughter quite bluntly.

I was horrified to realize that the critical things I said so casually 15 years ago had stayed in her memory and could possibly have destroyed a relationship that has proved to be so right and happy.  It reminded me how much we need to guard what we say to others.  So many of us are quick to point out what we consider to be weaknesses in family, friends, or work colleagues, or to focus on their mistakes rather than their successes.  “The tongue is a small part of the body,” say James (3:5), yet the words it shapes can either destroy relationships or bring peace ad harmony to a situation in the workplace, the church, or the family.

Perhaps we should make David’s prayer our own as we start each day:  “Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).  MARION STROUD

Father, please curb my careless speech and put a guard on my tongue today and every day.

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

Proverbs 25:11 NKJV

INSIGHT

MARION STROUD  went to be with the Lord on August 8, 2015.  Since 2014 she had been writing devotional articles for Our Daily Bread that have touched the lives of readers around the world.  Marion worked as a cross-cultural trainer for Media Associates international, helping writers produce books for their own culture.  She had been a role model for writers for many years and is missed by hundreds of friends.

Have a blessed night.

God Our Creator’s Love Always.

Unity & Peace