Proverbs 10:19 The more you talk, the more likely you are to sin. If you are wise, you will keep quiet.

Proverbs 10:17 People who listen when they are corrected will live, but those who will not admit that they are wrong are in danger.

Kids are wonderful people. You can learn a lot from them. They still know what is right and wrong and haven't let their conscience become numb as many adults have. This week I was reminded of how careful we need to be with what we say.

I was talking to our neighbor girl who is in her early teens and I described to her, a man I had seen earlier. There was a physical trait about this man that was in really bad condition and it stood out in my mind when I was talking to my neighbor girl. So when I described him, I mentioned this condition. She immediately interrupted me by saying, “That's not nice!” I was startled by her outburst and then said, “I'm just describing the man to you.” “But that's not nice!” she replied.

I thought about her words later that evening. It's such a common thing for us to describe someone using the traits about them that stand out in our minds. Including the bad ones. But she is right. There was no reason at all for me to mention the problem this man had. I could have just described his height, hair color, or approximate age. There was no reason for me to tell about the negative part of this man. It was unkind and totally against the way Christ taught us to treat each other.

I did go back to my neighbor and apologize for saying what I did and I thanked her for reminding me to be careful of what I say. It's a reminder most of us could use and it came to me through a young teenager.

Two things I learned from that conversation. 1. Guard my words carefully. 2. God uses kids to teach us adults a few things now and then. Sometimes they really do know better than adults.