Imagine being judged for every idle word you speak. Imagine having to answer for every time you lied, every time you contributed to gossip, every time you twisted someone's words to suit your own needs.
Imagine trying to explain why you said what you said... Why you felt the need to pass on the gossip... Why you felt the need to embellish the truth of what actually happened...Why the words that came out of your mouth were not honest, but instead were lies deliberately spoken to bring harm to others or to make yourself look good.
How much explaining will I have to do when I stand before God to answer for every idle word I've spoken? An entire lifetime of careless words. How will I explain that juicy piece of gossip that was so irresistible I just had to pass it along? How will I make God understand my reasons for being dishonest, my reasons for hurting others with my words? How will I justify what came out of my mouth?
I'd like to think that most of what I have to answer for is in my past, stupid childhood mistakes made before I realized how wrong it was to lie, spread gossip, and say hurtful things. I'd like to think that I'm more careful now with my words. But am I? My prayer for today is "Lord, put a watch over my tongue."
Today I heard so many examples of the hurt that follows a careless tongue. A person's reputation was tarnished by a vicious rumor. A person was hurt when her words were twisted. Someone retold what she said in a way that she didn't actually say it. Careless words brought pain to the point of tears today.
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me" is the biggest lie a child can chant. Today I was reminded how much words can hurt people, and it made me question myself. How much am I contributing to hurting others through spoken words? Shouldn't we all be praying every day, "Lord, put a watch over my tongue."?
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