Summary: "Hey! Hey! Hey!" exclaimed Mom, coming into the room, hands on her hips. "What's this name-calling all about?You know we do not talk to each other like that. Words hurt." "Aw, Mom, Lisa doesn't care," said Jon. "She knows I don't really mean it." Lisa glared at her brother. "It hurts whether you mean it or not," she grumbled. "You called me a pig. How do you think that makes me feel?" asked Jon. Lisa looked down. "Well, yesterday you said I was ugly," she defended herself. "You called me dumb," Jon muttered. "You said . . ." "That's enough!" Mom interrupted. "You both need to learn that unkind things you say do hurt, even if you don't really mean them. You can think about it while you work together to clean the basement." "Do I have to work with Jon? He's mean to me," complained Lisa. "Look who's talking!" exclaimed Jon. "You're the mean one; not me!" "Children!" exclaimed Mom. "Do I need to assign more jobs for the two of you? I can do that if you can't get along by the time you finish the basement. It will take a little extra work to clean up the mess made by that leak you found down there last week." "It didn't make much of a mess," said Jon. "It was just a tiny drip." "Yes, and I put a mop bucket under the faucet," replied Mom. "Go take care of it." The kids trooped downstairs to begin their work. Soon Lisa hurried back up. "The bucket's overflowing!" she exclaimed. "Come and see." Mom went to look. She nodded. "It's a worse mess now, isn't it? A small drop of water leaked into the bucket minute by minute, hour by hour, and it all adds up," she said. "Let that remind you that all the unkind, little things you say add up, too. They make a big bucketful of hurts." The kids looked from the overflowing bucket to one another. "I-I'm sorry I called you ugly, Lisa," murmured Jon. "I was just mad." "And you're not a pig, Jon. Nor dumb," Lisa said. "I'm sorry, too." Mom smiled. "That sounds better--and it works two ways," she said. "All the nice things you say add up to a bucketful of blessings." How About You? How do you talk to people? How does what you say make them feel? Do the things you say add up to a bucketful of hurts--or a bucketful of blessings? Instead of hurting others by saying mean things, make up your mind to bless them by saying good things. Honor God with the words you use as well as the things you do. Today's Key Verse: Bless and do not curse. (Romans 12:14) Today's Key Thought: Say only helpful things
