Story #1
“Have you heard about how Jane tripped at school today?” Sarah asked her friend in the hallway as they walked to science class. “She looked like a little fish. I wish that I had taken a video of it. I bet that she won’t walk down that hallway for months!” Sarah’s friend giggled and they continued to retell the event in even more detail than before and not without a few additions of their own.
Little did Sarah and her friend know that Jane was walking right behind them and heard every word that they said. What they also didn’t realize was that Jane did not just brush their words off. But, they sank deep inside her and made her feel silly and foolish. That little story hurt Jane a great deal.
Story #2
Jane was sweaty, her legs hurt, and she didn’t think that she could run one more step. She wanted to quit and go home. “You can do it!” Sarah yelled, “You’re so close. Just a few more yards!” Hearing Sarah’s voice, Jane willed her legs to go farther. She wanted to win the race – not only for herself but also for her friend who was cheering her on from the sidelines. As Jane crossed the finished line, Sarah shouted her name in excitement and gave a high-five to congratulate her. “You were great! Let’s go celebrate!”
Words. They are powerful. With words, we can build each other up, but we can also tear one another down. That is why it is important that we encourage one other with our words – not gossip and lie about one another behind each other’s back.
But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
James 3:8-12 ESV
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