AMBER KELLER / L’Observateur / August 4, 1999

Has someone ever said something so mean to you that it made you want to cry? It has happened to me before. The Bible says that it’s not just foolishness thatwe feel that way. Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life anddeath …”Lately, God has been dealing with me concerning the way I talk about people, gossiping in particular. He laid this scripture on my heart: “Do not let anyunwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”Someone recently e-mailed me a very interesting story. It spoke of a father whowas trying to teach his son a lesson about losing his temper. He told his sonthat from now on, every time he lost his temper, He’d have to nail a nail into the back of their fence. The first day, he nailed 37 nails into the fence. As the dayswent on, the boy grew tired of nailing and decided to start controlling himself.

Slowly he got to the point where his days consisted of no nailing at all. Now hisfather told him that for every day he didn’t lose his temper, he’d have to pull a nail out. Eventually, all the nails were gone. The boy, being very proud ofhimself, said, ” Dad, look they’re all gone.” ” Yes,” said the father, ” but look atall the holes that you have left behind.”The point is that sometimes we do lose our temper, and we say things in haste that we may not really mean. The fact is though that our words do hurt people,and, even if we apologize, we can still leave small scars in their lives. James3:9 says, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.”So next time you’re tempted to say something mean or critical about someone, remember that you’re not only talking about them but also about God who created them in His image.

If you have any questions or comments, write to me at straightkids@juno.com orP.O. Box 1493, LaPlace, La. 70069.

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