Week 2 Day 4

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Be Cautious with Your Words

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

John 5:39

Lord, thy teaching grace impart,

That we may not read in vain;

Write thy precepts on our heart,

Make thy truths and doctrine plain;

Let the message of thy love

Guide us to thy rest above.

Superintendent Chandler of the Telegraph Office once told how President Lincoln wrote telegrams. “His method of composition was slow and laborious. It was evident that he thought out what he was going to say before he touched his pen to the paper. He would sit looking out of the window, his left elbow on the table, his hand scratching his temple, his lips moving, and frequently he spoke the sentence aloud or in a half whisper. After he was satisfied that he had the proper expression, he would write it out.” Have you ever written a letter in haste, later regretting what you wrote? Like Lincoln, be cautious with your words, especially those you put on paper. It’s hard to retract something you have written, as it has the appearance of permanence. When you communicate, think before you act.