Be Careful Little Tongue What You Say

      It was a long time ago but I never forgot it.  Some things just don't go away too quickly.  We had this Sunday School Superintendent in a church that we were attending.  Every now and then he would come up and make some derogatory remark to me and then in an instant would say, "Oh, I'm just kidding."  I soon learned that he wasn't kidding but would use that as an excuse to try to cover up his words.  It probably is good that I don't forget it because it is a reminder that the tongue can cause some serious damage to people.  We know that the Book of James has a lot of practical lessons for us and also that James uses several different things in his epistle to make illustrations to explain his line of thought.  James 3:5 says, "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!"
      Of all of the parts of the body, the tongue is one of the smallest.  Some have made mention of the fact that we have two ears and only one tongue and that we should be listening twice as much as we are speaking.  Listening to others as they speak is a lost art in many groups.  Even as others are talking, the listener is not listening to what is being said, but rather forming what he or she is going to say when they get the chance.  James speaks about the little fire that is started with just a word and then continues to grow and grow until it becomes a large fire.  The comparison fits all of us.  I have mentioned before the little proverb that my Father told me years ago.  "Put your mind in gear before you put your mouth in motion."  Sometimes people don't want to hear your true expression.   About 20 years ago, a lady asked me to help her use the sound equipment in the church so she could practice her song.  I agreed to do so and at the end, she asked my opinion of her song.  She kept on asking and so I tried to explain that parts of it were a bit out of pitch.  She got mad at me and refused to sing the song that evening.  I refrain from giving my opinion these days.  What harm is a few notes out of tune.  I have had many times when I have caught myself just about to say something and then decide to not say it.  "What good would it do to make such a remark?"  So, I hesitate and say something else that won't be harmful to the listener.  I, however, do not always stay out of trouble. "So, be careful little tongue, what you say."  Praise God for His Words to us.  They are always sweet as honeycomb even when He chastises those He loves.