I had to apologize to my youngest granddaughter the other day for my language.  Let me explain.   Haley, who is in kindergarten, came over while we were dog sitting their dogs.  They get along fine with our two dogs, so it is not a problem.  But on this particular morning, while Haley and I were in the living room watching cartoons, her dogs, my dogs and probably the neighbor’s dogs kept barking and barking and barking.  One of them was the ringleader and he started off a new round of barking every couple of minutes.  Finally, after shushing the dogs for the umpteenth time, I turned to Haley and said, “That dog is acting like a fool.”  I quickly added, “Now don’t tell anybody I called him a fool.”  Haley said, “I won’t.  Because I won’t say the ‘F’ word.”  “The F word?” I asked.  Haley replied, “Yes.  That word begins with the letter F and we are not supposed to say it.”  I told her she was right, I apologized for my language and let her know I wouldn’t say it again.   The incident left me contemplating the fact that my 6 year old granddaughter’s standards in regard to language were higher than my own.

I was also reminded that Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that the one who in anger calls his brother a fool has committed murder in his heart.  The words we use as we talk to others and talk about others speak volumes about the condition of our heart.  Paul said in Ephesians 4:29 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”  I am so glad that my granddaughters are learning to use words that edify and build others up.  I am so glad they are using words of grace.