Careless Words

It was Friday. I was sitting in the car with Bailey, her sister, and her mom. We were on our way home from a stressful day (almost 11 hours!) of babysitting. I was having a conversation with Bailey's adorable 7-year-old sister. I said something that provoked her to say "You're a MEANIE." We just laughed, but Bailey's mom used the opportunity to teach us a lesson about our words. It went something like this....

"Don't call Caraline that!"
"I didn't mean it in a bad way."
Bailey- "Is there a nice way to call someone a meanie?"
"I didn't really mean it."
"Did you know that Jesus said we are responsible for every careless word we say? That means that even if you didn't mean it, you still said it. And it was still rude!"

This silly conversation really made me think about how many times we say things we shouldn't say even if we're just "joking". They are nevertheless thing we shouldn't say, even if we "don't mean them."

Here's the verse that Bailey' mom was referencing-

"I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak...."
Matthew 12:36

EVERY. SINGLE. WORD. Every one! It's scary to think about. This is a good reminder that we need to be careful what we say, because we might hurt someone, and we will be accountable for it!

I could say a lot more on this issue, but I have to go so I'll leave you to your thoughts. :) Can you think of any other verses that relate to this topic? Here's one that popped into my head....