Guarded Words

Bible Reading: James 3:2-10

Ruby walked out to the backyard where her grandmother was pruning a rosebush. “Hi, Ruby,” Grandma said. Seeing Ruby’s unhappy face, she asked, “What seems to be the trouble?”

Ruby sat down on the grass. “It’s Katie! I thought we were best friends, but she hardly even speaks to me now!”

“Really?” asked Grandma. “Why’s that?”

“Well…Ashley said Katie’s jacket looked funny, and I said I thought so too. We were just teasing!” Ruby sighed. “We all poke fun at each other. The others say I have a weird way of eating ice cream, and we tease Ashley about her laugh—she sounds just like a donkey! And Katie sometimes dresses goofy. I don’t know why she got so upset when we said so this time!”

“I see.” Grandma hesitated and then picked a rose and handed it to Ruby. “Let’s see how long it will take you to pull all the petals off this flower, one by one.” She looked at her watch. “Ready? Go!”

Ruby looked at Grandma curiously but began to tear off the petals as fast as she could.

“Good. That didn’t take long,” said Grandma. “Now let’s see how long it takes you to put all the petals back on the stem. Are you ready?”

“Gram!” Ruby exclaimed. “You know that’s impossible.”

“Yes,” said Grandma. “Sometimes it’s impossible to undo damage caused by words too. Remember this rose when you’re tempted to be careless with words.”

Ruby frowned. “But I didn’t mean to make Katie feel bad!”

“No, but you did, didn’t you?” Grandma put an arm around Ruby. “Sometimes we hurt others without meaning to. Even though you didn’t mean any harm by your comments, Katie was hurt by them. So what do you think you should do about it?”

“Apologize, I guess,” said Ruby. “Only I’m not sure Katie will listen.”

“Maybe not, but you can try,” said Grandma. “After this, consider words carefully before you speak them. Think about the other person and whether what you say might hurt them. We all make mistakes and say the wrong thing sometimes, but Jesus will forgive us and help us speak uplifting words to others.” Grandma squeezed Ruby’s shoulder. “Hopefully Katie will forgive you too.”

Ruby nodded. “I’ll call Katie and tell her I’m sorry.”

-Bethany R. Elms

How About You?

Do you think before you speak? Words used carelessly can hurt others, even if they’re not meant to. Sometimes it’s okay to joke about what someone says or does, but before you do that, think about whether that person might be hurt by you poking fun at them. The Bible says the tongue is like a fire that can quickly get out of control. Guard it carefully, and if you do say something hurtful, ask for forgiveness.

Today’s Key Verse: Psalm 141:3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Guard your tongue