A Guest Post by Dr. Joey Krol
A young man in his 20s was interviewing for a job. The company owner was in his 60s, and he asked the young man, “So where are you from?”
“I’m from Saginaw, Michigan,” said the young man. The owner asked, “What are they known for?” The young man replied, “Great hockey teams and ugly women.”
The owner said, “Well, son, my wife is from Saginaw, Michigan.”
“Oh,” he said, “what team does she play for?”
Our words can get us into trouble. There have been times I’ve said the wrong thing at the wrong time. I’ve had my share of putting my foot into my mouth!
In the book of James, we see how important the tongue is. It says in James 3:5, “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.” We see here that the tongue is like a fire in dry grass.
Most of us know the story of Mrs. O’Leary, who was milking her cow in a barn in Chicago. The cow kicked over Mrs. O’Leary’s lantern, and that lantern caught the hay in the barn on fire. By the time that fire was finally under control, it had destroyed more than 17,000 buildings in the city of Chicago. One cow kicked over one lantern—and 17,000 buildings were destroyed!
In a matter of moments, a small fire can become a big fire. And, a few words wrongly used can bring such devastation, and such destruction. They can change the course of a friendship, a marriage, or a relationship in an instant.
The late evangelist and teacher, Oswald Chambers, once said, “The greatest test of a man’s character is his tongue.”
Dr. Joey Krol is a pastor, radio host, and author of the book At the King’s Feet, available on Amazon.