What Comes Out of Your Mouth

Bible Reading: Proverbs 15:1-2; Matthew 15:10-11, 17-20

Tara and her friends, Maddie and Eve, sat at a wooden picnic table overlooking the sandy beach of Lake Monroe. The girls had been swimming for hours, and their stomachs were growling.

“I’m starving!” exclaimed Eve. She pulled a bag of chips, a ham sub, a slice of cake, and a soda out of her lunch bag.

“Me too!” Maddie had two bologna, mayo, and cheese sandwiches, a large bag of corn chips, and a candy bar. She was already sipping on a can of grape soda.

Tara placed her spinach and egg salad, whole wheat crackers, and an apple on the table. She had a bottle of water to drink.

“You’re eating junk food,” Tara told her friends. “You both should eat better and take care of your bodies like I do.”

Maddie and Eve both stopped eating mid-bite and stared at Tara. “What do you mean?” asked Eve.

Maddie looked angry. “She means we’re fat, not skinny Minnies like her.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Tara felt bad she had hurt her friends’ feelings. She tried to explain how she had been learning about nutrition, but Maddie and Eve wouldn’t listen.

On the way home, Tara told her mom what happened. “I just told them what they put in their bodies matters. Now they’re both mad!”

“I’m sure they’ll forgive you,” said Mom. “But you know, Tara, what goes into our bodies isn’t the most important thing.”

“It isn’t?” asked Tara. “What is?”

“The Bible tells us that the words that come out of our mouths are more important than anything that goes into our mouths. Words reflect what is in the heart.”

Tara wiped a tear from her cheek. “I guess my heart wasn’t being very loving, was it?”

Mom smiled. “We all need to think about how our words might affect others before we speak. Trust Jesus to help you do that. He’s put His love in your heart, and He will help you show that love to others through your words.”

Tara nodded. “From now on, I’ll be more careful about what comes out of my mouth than what goes in it.”

-Bonnie Carr

How About You?

Do you ever speak without thinking first? Do you ever consider how your words might make others feel? We may not intend to hurt someone’s feelings, but if we aren’t paying attention to the words that come out of our mouths, those words can cause damage. Trust the Lord to help you guard your tongue and show others the love He’s put in your heart through your words.

Today’s Key Verse: Matthew 15:11 It’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth. (CSB)

Today’s Key Thought:

Think before you speak