Words Words Words....Time to GROW UP!

It’s just the same with our tongues! It’s a small muscle, capable of great eloquence.  And do you know how many forest fires begin with a single ember from a small campfire? The tongue is a blazing fire seeking to ignite an entire world of vices. The tongue is unique among all parts of the body because it is capable of corrupting the whole body. If that were not enough, it ignites and consumes the course of creation with a fuel that originates in hell itself. James 3:5-6 

Ever had someone say something about you that really hurt?  When I was a child, I was almost always the smallest person in my class.  And, thus, almost always the target of the comments and insults children are prone so fire as a "joke."  I was told to just remember, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."  

May I share a bitter truth?  That little quip I was told to remember was, and is, a LIE!  I would rather have been beaten senseless with sticks and stones than have to endure the bitter, sharp, cruel words.

Did you know that what we say can not only hurt someone's feelings, but can also damage or destroy their reputation, or worse, destroy the person's life?  Enter the internet's Social Media sites.  People take things posted on Social Media WAY too seriously.  I have to shake my head when I see some of the cruel and hurtful things posted.  I have to wonder why.  Why was it SO important to air your drama?  Was it to seek support from others who don't know (or care to know) ALL the facts?  Was it to try to get others to feel sorry for the poster (oh you poor thing)? 

My Gramma once told me, "If you wouldn't want it said about you then don't say it about anyone else."  Wise advice!  

We must be careful of what we say and to whom we say it.  Ecclesiastes 5:2 reminds us "Don’t shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think.
Don’t be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear.
God’s in charge, not you—the less you speak, the better."

Speak less, speak truth, speak only in love!