I Stink, Mommy

Nearly every day we hear a news story about miscommunication. The wrong word slips out in a politician's speech. Inaccurate data is given about a product. Someone accused of a crime speaks and then regrets what was said. Perhaps we have experienced a similar situation and found ourselves saying, "But that's not what I meant."

Every communication has consequences. In some cases the immediate result is not serious and may be even humorous. Years ago my 21 month old grandson watched with interest as his mommy put on some deodorant. "What is that, mommy," he asked. His mom explained that she puts the deodorant on so she won't stink. Later, my daughter found her son hiding and putting on her deodorant. She asked him what he was doing with that. His answer was, "I stink, mommy." Actually, he did... he had a dirty diaper.

We laugh at incidents like that, but usually our poor communication has more serious consequences. A quick word may cost us a friend or result in a big argument. Or, it might be the cause of a lost job or opportunity. Unclear speech may mislead someone. God's Word warns us repeatedly about our communication and rightly so. What a powerful thing our tongue is. In James our tongue (speech) is compared to a bit in a horse's mouth, a rudder on a ship and a fire in a forest. In the words of a children's song, "Be careful little mouth what you say."