Tornado Thumbs

Bible Reading: James 3:2-10

Felix walked into the house and flopped onto the couch. Some of the guys

on his baseball team had told him that Jeremy, their classmate, was saying mean and untrue things about him. “If I were you, I’d tell him off!” one of Felix’s

friends had urged.

“Yeah,” said another. “It’s the only way you’ll get him to stop saying stuff like

that.”

Felix figured they were right. He pulled out his phone and quickly typed a

message to Jeremy. When he was finished, he read over the angry words and not-so-nice names he had written. This will make Jeremy think twice about spreading lies about me, he thought. As he was about to hit “Send,” he suddenly remembered Jeremy telling him a few weeks before that he’d be interested in going to Vacation Bible School at Felix’s church later that summer. Felix hesitated, his thumb hovering over the screen.

“Wow, look at that!” Mom pointed to a news report on TV. Felix looked up and listened as the reporter told about a tornado that had hit a town in another state, destroying many houses as it swept through. There were pictures of people wandering around their ruined yards and houses and turned-over cars. Their belongings were flung everywhere. The people looked stunned, like they didn’t know what to do. “Just think,” said Mom. “All that damage was done in just a few minutes.”

“Yeah,” said Felix. “But it will probably take years to rebuild that town.”

“You’re right,” said Mom. “You just gave me an idea for my Sunday school class, Felix. This week’s lesson is about how the words we say can cause a lot of hurt and damage and keep us from showing others the love of Jesus. This will help the kids in my class understand why we need to be careful not to have tornado tongues!”

Felix looked down at his phone. Or tornado thumbs, he thought. Saying mean things to Jeremy is only going to cause more damage, and it definitely won’t help me get him interested in learning more about Jesus. He quickly deleted the words he had typed. “Mom? Is it okay if I invite Jeremy over?” he asked. “There’s something

I need to talk to him about. Maybe you can help me choose the right words to say.” • Ruth I. Jay

How About You?

Do you choose your words carefully when you’re angry? Or do you say—or type— whatever mean, angry words come to mind? Words like that can cause a lot of damage, and they don’t show others the love of Jesus. Trust Him to help you deal with the situation in an honest yet loving way—and in some situations, it might be best to get an adult involved too.

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:

Choose words carefully