We all make mistakes in our speech. We are not taking, as point, about errors in grammar or sloppy usage. We make the more serious mistakes of saying what we should not say. In a moment of anger or carelessness we may say something hurtful to someone else. At times the hurtful speech is directed to those closest to us. How difficult it is as the Book of James puts it to control our tongues. We describe that process when we say things like “I had to bite my tongue.” We know from the physical process of literally biting our tongue how painful the process of controlling our speech can be. The damage of our uncontrolled tongues is at its worst when we have hurtful intent. We may use our speech to build ourselves up and to tare others down. We may be assassins of others character. We may murder the hope, dreams and reputations of other people. What we are often less aware of is the effect of careless speech. A thoughtless casual comment may be appropriated by someone else and used for harm. What is intended as a joke may be used to wound another person even without being intended to do so. At times something proposed as a joke may have a truly malicious intent. Gossip may be intentally or accidentally harmful. We try to avoid it in every way we can while still being concerned about each other’s welfare. Our words can be a curse or a blessing. It is important that we choose our words carefully. It is certain that we all will make mistakes with our tongues and we learn together how to forgive each other’s failures of the tongue. It is not easy to be responsible in our speech. Perhaps that is why Jesus said, “let your yes be yes and your no be no” as a way to avoid the danger of injury by our words.