Daily Devotional for July 22, 2018
Watch What You Say
“Mom said I could water her plant,” Theodore told his brother as he headed for the sunroom with a cup of water. But he stumbled, and the cup slipped from his hand. Water spilled onto Jonah, who was on his tablet at the kitchen table.
“Look what you did!” Jonah shouted. “You got me all wet—and there’s water on my tablet too. You’re such a clumsy idiot!”
“I’m sorry,” Theodore said, but Jonah responded by calling his brother another mean name.
“It was an accident, Jonah, and Theodore said he was sorry,” Mom said sternly. “Stop calling him names.”
“Jonah calls everyone names,” Everly said, scowling at her brother. “He called me at least three already this morning.”
“I’ll take care of this, Everly,” said Mom. “You and Theodore go play.” When the children had left, Mom turned to Jonah. “It seems very easy for you to call people bad names. Would you like some help not doing that?” Jonah looked at the floor and nodded. Mom got a marker and drew a cross on the back of Jonah’s hand. “This is to help you remember that you belong to Jesus,” she explained. “When you see it, think of how He loves you and everyone else so much that He died on the cross, and then trust Him to help you show His love to others in what you say.”
That afternoon, Jonah and his friend Aaron practiced skateboard tricks on the driveway. “Oh no!” Jonah said when Everly came out. Sure enough, she got in his way. “Watch out, you—” Jonah started to say, but then he noticed the cross on his hand and bit back the unkind name he was going to use. “Watch where you’re going, please,” he said instead.
A little later, a neighbor girl strode into the yard. “Your skateboarding is way too loud. I can’t read on my porch when you’re making so much noise!”
“If you’d just—” Jonah stopped and looked at his hand. “Sorry. We’ll try to be quieter.”
“You should have told her off,” Aaron said after she left.
“I felt like it, but…” Jonah glanced at his hand again. “Then I remembered I have someone to help me watch what I say.” – Vera M. Hutchcroft
How about you?
What kind of things do you say? Do they communicate the love of Jesus to others? Or are they mean, angry words? When you’re tempted to lash out or call people names, remember that you don’t have to give in to sin because Jesus saved you from it. (You could even draw a cross on the back of your hand to help you remember.) Then trust Him to help you choose words that show His love to others.
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