Taming the tongue

Today I am up far too early! The kids are happily watching some early morning CBeebies until breakfast and I have just finished my first cup of tea so thought I would grab the chance to pop onto my blog.

I was thinking what shall I write about today? I have so many things God is bringing to my attention just now but one keeps coming to mind.

'Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.' James, Ch 3 v 5-9, NIV.

This is serious stuff!! 'A world of evil', 'full of deadly poison'. Verse 9 is a harsh truth also. Colin and I have been thinking about how what we say to our kids, Jacob and Emma, can affect them positively or negatively. We are learning the hard way how what we say to the kids matters. I am sure all of us have said things to our children we wish we hadn't. I know I have and yes, I am ashamed to admit that I have said 'go away' and 'shut up'. I shudder as I think about this!

However, I think I use more postive words than negative and certainly strive to do so. Our children look up to us,(literally), imitate us and want to please us. When I say something I shouldn't to my two I instantly feel crumby inside. God pricks my conscience, the Holy Spirit inside me groans and tells me that was wrong. The very behaviour I discipline in my children is sometimes displayed by me and I wonder why they don't always speak as they should to each other!

I also need to be watchful of the conversations I have in front of my kids as they get older. Jacob is almost 5 and could hear a pin drop. He is always listening. Even when we think he is not! So Colin and I are learning how we need to be wary of what we talk about at the dinner table, who and that we talk in love.

'The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to man's inmost parts.' Proverbs, Ch 18, v 8, NIV.

You and I know that it is wrong to gossip about people. I am sure we have all done it at some time or other. I know I have!! Again something else I need to be careful of and especially in front of the kids with little pricked up ears. I am sure we all know the dangers of gossip and it is hard not to be drawn into conversations about others that maybe aren't based on fact and are just idle speculation.

I know this is something I need to ask God for help with. Don't get me wrong, I am not the local daily gossip newspaper or anything but I do speculate and am guilty of talking about others.

I have so much to learn from God on this subject and am thankful that he wants to show me areas in my life which I need to be mindful of. We are all works in progress and God is thankfully pruning us all the time.

Please let me know your thoughts or experiences on this topic if you wish.

Love Collette xx