Have you ever noticed how we sometimes say the wrong thing? I heard about a pastor in Peoria, Illinois who was the pastor at a church directly across the street from a funeral home. Because of this, he was called upon by the funeral director to conduct services for those who had died without any church affiliation. Sometimes he had two or three funeral services a day. It was only natural that he could not remember all the families involved.
That was true one hot August afternoon. He was stopped on a downtown street by a woman who obviously knew him. But he couldn’t remember her name or recall when they had met. Actually, he had officiated at her late husband's funeral several months before.
The woman thanked him for what he had done for her husband. The pastor desperately tried to remember what it might have been, but he simply could not. He didn't know what to say, so he turned the conversation to the subject of her husband and asked, "By the way, how is your husband standing the heat?" Obviously, the wrong thing to say!
On a serious note, we know that words are powerful. Our words can build someone up or tear someone down. Our words can bring encouragement and hope, or damage someone's reputation and self-esteem. Words are powerful.
It is my prayer today that I will guard carefully the words that I speak. Perhaps that is your prayer also. The prayer of the Psalmist is a beautiful one for all of us: "Let the WORDS of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)