The first chapter of James was the lesson for the Teen class that night. There was so much good discussion material in the chapter and it seemed the class was really trying to get hold of it. As we worked our way through the chapter, we lingered just a little longer on verse 26 as we discussed just how powerful this statement was.

James 1:26 says, 'If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.'

The question was asked, 'What do you think this verse is saying?' There were as many different responses and illustrations of the verse as there were teens. But as usual with teens, the discussion always leads to surprises. After many answers were given, one teen raised her hand and said, 'SILENCE IS GOLDEN - DUCT TAPE IS SILVER!'

It took my brain a second or two to grasp what she had said before laughter took over the room. You gotta admit that's funny!

And as I think about it, duct tape might be the only answer for some of us sometimes when it comes to controlling the tongue. It really doesn't matter how much we profess to be a Christ follower if our witness is ruined by the way we speak.

The third chapter of James speaks about the difficulties of controlling the tongue. We are told how much damage can be done when words are not carefully spoken. Do you know that other's opinions of you are often formed because of something you have said? Possibly something uttered so casually without thought that you didn't even realize what you said. How many times have you heard how important a first impression is whether you are on a job interview or meeting someone for the first time? How about someone who just happens to overhear something spoken to another person? That first impression can be formed on wrong words spoken.

Our lack of control of our tongue can show up in so many areas. Is gossip your problem? Or do you find yourself using the same foul language you used before you became a child of God? Are you consistently negative about everything? Are your words spoken in anger instead of love? Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45 tell us the content of our heart is revealed in what we say. And sometimes it's not WHAT we say but how we say it. It is so easy to ruin our witness for Christ.

I love Psalm 141:3. It says, 'Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. '

Over and over throughout the years people have been finding ways to tell us to watch what we say.

The teen in our class said, 'Silence is golden – duct tape is silver'.

Our parents used to say, 'If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.'

Mark Twain has been credited for the quote, "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt".

But long before any of these, a wise king said it in Proverbs 17:28 'Even fools are thought to be wise when they keep silent; when they keep their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.'

Think I'll be quiet now. Shhhhh.