TAMING THE TONGUE

I ran across an excellent book recently titled "30 Minutes to Taming Your Tongue" by Deborah Smith Peques. I am trying to make it available to as many friends as I can because it is particularly pertinent in a small senior community. The book lists as the ways in which what we say can affect other people. The author lists the following types of tongues with first word descriptions: lying, flattering, manipulating, argumentative, boasting, self-depreciating, slandering, gossiping, meddling, betraying, belittling, cynical, know-it-all, harsh, tactless, intimidating, rude, judgmental, self-absorbed, complaining, retaliating, accusing, discouraging, indiscreet, and silent. Quite a list of ways we can injure other people. 

I hope the people who started rumors in our community several years ago will be among the first to read the book. The circumstance was that someone had called the state because beer was being sold at community events against the law. People got upset about that action and set out trying to find out who made the call. The race was on to guess who to blame and blacklist. The suspicion fell on one couple who were not drinkers but good Christians. They denied the accusations which soon spread throughout the small community. It became so ridiculous that the avengers got a copy of the handwritten note sent to officials and worked hard at comparing it with the handwriting of the "guilty" party. The accusers were were not strong enough to confront the suspected party but the rumor mill soon passed it along. The accused couple denied any part in the incident but the damage had been done. They soon were shunned by neighbors and finally ended up leaving the community. How many of the "tongues" can you see were at work in that incident and needed to be tamed.

I wonder if it was coincidence or revelation when on the same day I read the book, the scripture in The Upper Room was from Proverbs 15: "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."