Talking Tongues

Bible Reading: Proverbs 15:1-4; James 3:3-6

“Mom, guess what! Karl’s got strep throat!” Nico had just recovered from strep throat, and now others were coming down with it. Nico found his mom on the phone in the living room. “Was that Mrs. Burk?” He asked when Mom hung up. “Sounds like they’re going to move to Texas.”

“Oops! I didn’t hear you come in,” said Mom. “Don’t tell anyone they’re moving. Mr. Burk’s boss is on vacation, so he hasn’t had a chance to tell her yet.”

Nico didn’t tell anyone about the Burks—not until Sunday morning, that is. Then it just sort of slipped out when he told his friend Haru they’d soon have a new Sunday school teacher. “But don’t tell anyone,” added Nico quickly. And Haru didn’t—at least not for a few hours. Then he told his sister Ari, who told her best friend Karen. Not knowing it was a secret, Karen passed the news on to her parents, who mentioned it at a committee meeting.

By the end of the week, several more children in Nico’s class had strep throat—and several more people knew the Burks were moving.

“Nico,” said Mom, “I didn’t tell anyone the Burks were moving. Did you?”

“Well…just Haru. But I told him not to tell,” said Nico.

“Mrs. Burk says the news is all over town. They’re afraid Mr. Burk’s boss may hear it before he’s able to tell her,” said Mom. “News spreads fast.”

“Like strep throat?” asked Nico.

“Something like that,” said Mom. “Once you exposed your friends to strep throat, there was nothing you could do to stop it. And when you tell a secret to even one person, the story is almost sure to spread. That’s why we need to control our tongues. Even if we’re not saying anything bad about someone, sharing secrets they don’t want others to know can hurt them, and it shows that we can’t be trusted to keep confidences. Does that sound like Jesus to you?” Nico shook his head, and Mom continued. “Jesus is trustworthy, so we need to depend on Him to help us be trustworthy too.”

Nico sighed. “I’m sorry. Next time I learn something I’m not supposed to tell, I’ll pretend it’s a contagious disease—like strep throat—and be careful not to expose anybody else.”

-Linda Weddle

How About You?

Do you keep secrets? Or do you think it won’t hurt if you tell just one person? Occasionally, you may be told something parents or a trusted adult need to know—like if someone is being abused or is engaged in harmful behavior, for example. Then be sure you do tell. But generally, when you’re taken into someone’s confidence, don’t talk about it to anyone else. Show others that you are trustworthy like Jesus.

Today’s Key Verse:
Proverbs 11:13 A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence. (NLT)

Today’s Key Thought:

Keep confidences