FEBRUARY 9, James 3:5-8

“Ouch!” Kelly stomped her foot. “I need new shoes! This one hurts me!” “You probably have your shoes on the wrong feet,” said her brother Ben. “I do not!” objected Kelly. “This pair of shoes really hurts!”

“You don’t know how to put shoes on correctly,” insisted Ben. “You’re just a baby!” Kelly frowned. “I’m seven years old,” she informed her brother as he went outside. “I know which shoe goes on which foot.”

“Let me see,” said Dad, and Kelly lifted her foot for him to check. “It’s the tongue of the shoe, honey,” he said, untying it. “It’s twisted and all bunched up. We’ll just straighten it out.” Dad pulled hard on the tongue and re-tied the shoe. “How does it feel now?” Kelly ran around the room and jumped. “That’s better! It’s all fixed!” “Did she have it on the wrong foot?” asked Ben, coming back into the house. “No! I told you I didn’t!” said Kelly. “You don’t know anything, Ben!”

“At least I know how to put my shoe on so it doesn’t hurt!” said Ben. He grabbed the soccer ball and began bouncing it up with his knee. “Show off!” yelled Kelly. Dad caught the ball and held it up high. “It was the tongue in Kelly’s shoe that was causing a problem,” he said. “Tell me something else that causes trouble when it’s not used correctly.”

“Ah… that ball?” guessed Ben. “If it’s used wrongly – like if we throw it around in the house – we could break a lamp or something.”“That’s true, but I was thinking of something smaller. Like the tongue in your sister’s shoe, our tongues can give us problems” said Dad.

“I guess you mean we need to talk nicely to each other,” Ben suggested.

“Yeah! You shouldn’t have said I’m a baby,” said Kelly. “Okay, and you shouldn’t have yelled at me,” replied Ben.

Dad nodded. “God’s Word says the tongue is small but can do a great deal of damage,” he said. “Words can hurt people a lot more than shoes can hurt the feet. Keep that in mind-especially when someone annoys you or makes you angry.”

Thought: Control your tongue or it will control you!

Prayer: Thank You, Heavenly Father, for today’s reminder. I know there are many times I have said unkind things and have regretted them. Teach me to remember to say things You’d like to hear me say. For the sake of Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen