The power of the tongue

Around 10 days ago Sue and I celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary (where do all the years go!). We don't tend to make a big deal of our wedding anniversaries, but it is certainly something to celebrate. I bought Sue a bunch of flowers (that gave her a shock!) and she bought me a book of funny football sayings. Here are just a few examples:

'I would not be bothered if we lost every game as long as we won the league.' - Mark Viduka

‘I had a lump in my mouth as the ball went in' - Terry Venables

‘I was quite surprised and delighted to take the armband for both legs.' - Gary O’Neil

'I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel.' - Stuart Pearce

'I couldn't settle in Italy - it was like living in a foreign country.' - Ian Rush

'I was really surprised when the FA knocked on my doorbell.' - Michael Owen

‘The important thing is that he shook hands with us over the phone' - Alan Ball

'My parents have been there for me, ever since I was about 7.' - David Beckham

It's so easy, of course, to say something without thinking, and then immediately regret what has been said. The above examples are quite funny, and maybe, looking back, the people concerned were a little embarrassed. But sometimes our words can have far more regrettable consequences.

There was a saying around when I was a young lad, "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me." What a load of rubbish! Words can be incredibly hurtful. James, writing his New Testament letter, warns, "If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless."

I guess that all of us can remember times when we have said something and instantly regretted it. The sobering thing is that once the words have come out they can never be taken back.

The tongue is only a relatively small part of the body, but it has a potential influence (for good or evil) far beyond its size. How much better the world would be if we human beings tried harder to control our tongues!