Read: Matthew 19:26; Luke 6:45; James 3:7-10

"Mom,” said Noah, “Rexy had an accident on the welcome mat again.”

Mom made her way to the front door and rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know what to do with that dog. He chews up everything in the house. He barks at the garbage truck. He digs under the fence. He’s out of control. I don’t think anyone can tame that tiny Chihuahua. Would one of you boys please take Rexy for a walk?”

“It’s Noah’s turn.” Micah tossed the leash to his brother.

“My turn? I just gave him a bath last night!”

“That wasn’t a bath. You just sprayed some of Dad’s cologne on him!”

“Well, you should use some of that cologne because you smell worse than the dog!”

Mom sighed. “Don’t you boys ever get tired of arguing? I think Rexy acts so crazy because he’s watching how you two act.”

“Oh, come on, Mom. We don’t bark at the mailman,” Noah said.

“Yeah,” said Micah, “and it’s not like we punch each other or anything.”

“You punch each other with words. The way you talk to each other is just as out of control as Rexy. The Bible says people are able to tame all kinds of animals, but no one can tame the tongue.”

“So if the Bible is saying we have a better chance of taming Rexy than controlling what we say, why even try?” asked Noah.

“Because taming our tongues is important,” said Mom. “They may be small things, but they can cause huge destruction.”

Micah laughed. “That sounds a lot like Rexy!”

“The Bible also says that the words we speak come from our hearts,” Mom continued. “If we need to change our words, it means our hearts need to change. And we can’t change them ourselves.”

Noah thought about that. “You mean Jesus has to help us, right?”

“Right,” said Mom. “Only He can change your heart and help you love others the way He does. Taming the tongue is only possible with Him.” Mom walked over to the puddle on the welcome mat and sighed. “At this point, I think God’s the only one who can change Rexy as well.”

Micah smiled. “Well, the Bible does say that with God, all things are pawsible!”

–Jared Hottenstein

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