I read a brief newspaper article yesterday morning that immediately transported me back to my days as a student at Melrose Elementary School in Harrisburg, PA. The story related the incident where a ten year old boy in Boise, Idaho got his tongue stuck on a frozen metal pole - most likely the result of a dare. (Sound familiar? If you have ever seen the classic movie,
A Christmas Story - you will have to shake your head "yes!" - see adjacent photo). Back in my elementary school days, on a frigid winter morning, a student was dared to lick the metal hand rail on the stairs leading up to the school's main entrance (just so you know, I was neither the boy who licked the metal hand rail, nor the boy who issued the dare - in fact, I was no where near this unfortunate incident - really!). The boy was not one to turn his back on a dare and he licked and immediately his tongue froze to the hand rail! The police and EMT's came and the boy was finally freed from the hand rails frozen grip!
Silly? Yes! But every year it seems like some ten year old some where decides to lick a cold metal object. You can count on it happening (last year it was a ten year old in Hammon, Indiana). Perhaps more of us should consider doing just that. Well, not really. But all of us could benefit from keeping our tongues in check. All too often our tongues (that piece of flesh that wags between our jaws) get out of control. And with a thoughtless word (or words) we pierce another person's soul. Let's purpose to practice Ephesians 4:29 in our talk:
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but ONLY what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
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