“One night in July at an all-girls summer camp, the campers were gathered around in a circle for their nighttime devotions. The counselor asked if any of the girls wanted to share something that had happened that day that impacted them. One camper raised her hand and said a girl from another camp cabin had said something that hurt her feelings, and she was really upset about it. “The camp counselor went to the bathroom to grab a tube of toothpaste. She took the tube and squeezed it just a bit so some toothpaste came out. She then tried to put the toothpaste back into the tube, but it just created a mess. Then she squeezed the tube even more, pushing more toothpaste out and creating even more of a mess, but none of it would go back into the tube. The counselor then told the campers, ‘This toothpaste represents the words you speak. Once you say something that you want to take back, it’s impossible, and it will only create a mess. Think before you speak, and make sure your words are going to good use before you let them out’” (Toothpaste Recant). Wouldn’t this world be a much better place if we all would be careful of what we speak and know the impact of it upon others? James 4:11 (ESV) affirms, “Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.” There are countless other Scriptures that reference speaking ill of others, so it is clearly obvious that this is something that God truly frowns upon in our life living. If we all would take six months to mind our own business, and the other six to leave others’ business alone, there would be no time to meddle and speak all sorts of evil against our fellow man! On the other hand, the Word teaches us that when others speak curses against us, they are actually blessing us! In His “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus summed up what it means to live as a child of God’s kingdom. He declared, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me” (Matthew 5:11 NIV). Consequently, if there are those who stay on the phone all hours of the night berating you, then you must be really important to them. Sadly, they don’t even know they are actually blessing you! Our words define who we are by revealing our attitudes and character, giving people an indication of our intellect or ignorance. Always abound in the faith, and never leave home without Him!
