WATCH YOUR WORDS
Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
When Linda and I were 16 or 17 years old she decided that she wanted to go squirrel hunting with me. There was a ridge above my parents house and I had permission to hunt it where it stretched out around a small swamp and a big corn field. We grabbed a ,22 rifle and we walked hand in hand back along that ridge one beautiful fall afternoon.
We found a big old oak where we could snuggle up close to one another and watch for some squirrels. We say quietly for 10 or 15 minutes, making some teenage love conversation. Then Linda’s eyes got big and she pointed down the ridge and said, “here comes one.” I slowly lifted the rifle and when he came around a tree I dropped him in his tracks. He was dead before his tail hit the ground. I was pretty proud of myself and I turned to Linda with a smile.
What I saw on her face was a look of horror and disbelief. She sat quietly, not very happy with me. I let sleeping dogs lay and kept my mouth shut so I didn’t dig myself any deeper in trouble. Linda was just my girlfriend at the time and I was pretty fond of her, so I thought it best to say nothing.
After a few minutes she again pointed and whispered, “here comes another one.” She pointed so I didn’t want to disappoint her so I raised the gun and took him off the limb and this one thumped hard close to us. Now, I assumed that if she pointed she must have meant for me to shoot it.
Linda got up and said that she was going back to my parents house. I picked up the two squirrels and quicky caught up to her. When I caught her, I asked if she was ok. She turned to me, and with big tears rolling down her cheeks, she said that she couldn’t believe that I shot the first squirrel and then a second. I wasn’t very smart at that age and my response was, “I said we were going squirrel hunting. I’m carrying a rifle… what did you think we were going to do”.
So many times in life we allow our mouths run without considering what the results might be. Our words can do so much good when used at the right time and in the right way. They can also do some much damage when use in the wrong way at the wrong time.
I’ve heard it said that there is a reason that God gives us one mouth and two ears… so we listen twice as much as we talk. All too often we find ourselves talking way too much without first thinking of the impact on those within hearing distance. We must think of the effects of our words before allowing them to leave out mouths.
In Proverbs 12:3 we read about the fool and how he uses his mouth.
Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life, he who opens wife his lips comes to ruin. (Eph 12:3)
I would like to say that I have learned my lesson after 4 years of dating and 45 years of marriage… But I still allow words to come out too often, before I think. If we really care about others more than we do ourselves, we will carefully watch our worlds.
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