The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat the fruit.
Yesterday I walked around a nearby college campus and was surprised to see this crop of mushrooms that had seemingly grown overnight. There's something both beautiful and repelling about a mushroom to me. It fascinates me that they can be both a delicacy and a poison. Only one who has a good handle on "mushroom knowledge" can tell the difference.
It kind of reminds me, of our tongues. Such good and such evil comes from the mouths of mankind. There are those who just blurt out whatever frivolous thoughts pop into their head, while others carefully weigh each word.
I recall reading a story about a young boy who had a terrible habit of spouting unkindness when he was angry. His father took him out to the fence post and had him drive dozens of nails into a rail. He then instructed him to remove the nails. When the boy had finished, he commanded him to remove the nail holes.
Of course that is impossible! And it's just as impossible to take back a carelessly spoken word! My prayer today is that every word I speak is used to build hope, love, joy and peace and that there are no nail holes left to haunt me!
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