Watch What You Say!

This morning I have a tube of toothpaste. I want you to watch very carefully and see what I am going to do with this toothpaste. (Open the toothpaste and squeeze all of the toothpaste out of the tube onto a saucer.) There, I think I have just about all of the toothpaste squeezed out of the tube. Now I need one of you to help me with the next part. (Choose one of the children to be your helper.) Okay, I want you to put all of the toothpaste back into the tube. Can you do that? You can't? You mean that you can't put that toothpaste back into the tube once it is squeezed out? Of course not, that is silly isn't it?

Did you know that very same thing is true of the words we speak? Have you ever said something that hurt someone's feelings and heard them say, "You take that back!" You can't take it back, can you? Once you have said it, it is said. You can't put the words back in your mouth any more than you can squeeze this toothpaste back into the tube. That is why we need to be very careful about the things we say. The Bible says, "He who holds his tongue is wise."

All of you know the children's rhyme that says, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me." That sounds nice, but it just isn't true. Words can hurt. The Bible says, "Reckless words pierce like a sword." Our words can cut like a knife. They can hurt others. We all know that God hears every word we say and he knows every thought we have in our mind. It is very important for us to be careful about the things we think and say.

The Bible says, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer." Once we have said it, we can't take it back, so let's make sure that our words are pleasing to God.

Dear Father, help us to let every word we speak be pleasing in your sight. Let no words come from our mouths that would be hurtful to others. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.