Do you ever say dumb things? Many years ago, I did something I will never forget. I walked my son Caleb to school. It was field day. Remember field day? It is the best day of the year. Caleb was in kindergarten so he had never experienced field day before. As we were walking to school, I was really building it up, telling him how amazing it would be. He was going to win all these races and get ribbons. We got in his class line, waiting for his teacher to come out. So, I started talking to his whole class about field day. The kids got so excited, and I got the whole class riled up.
You know this is not going to turn out good, right? So, his kindergarten class was buzzing with excitement. I started to feel a little bad because the class was anything but calm, but it was field day, so who cares? It would be a crazy day anyway. A few minutes into my field day rant, another parent tapped me on the shoulder. She said, ”Today is not field day.” In my mind, I was like – yes, it is. And just at that moment, the kindergarten teacher came out, and the kids yelled, “It’s field day!”
And the teacher said – “No, it’s not. Who told you it was field day today?” It turned out that it was the whole school’s field day, except for kindergarten. Do you remember the Southwest commercial – Want to get away?
Do you ever say things that you wish you hadn’t said? Do you ever get yourself into trouble with your words? If you’re like me, your words get you into trouble more than almost anything else. In the book of James, James wrote, “But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.” James. 1:19. He also wrote, “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.” James 1:26
How good are you at bridling your tongue - controlling it? Isn’t that something we all need to work on? The tongue is a little muscle, but its power and influence for good or bad, is out of proportion to its size. Father, teach me to be careful with my words.