…and the tongue is like a fire. James 3:6 TEV

Since the moment we arrived back from our honeymoon six months ago, my ballet students have been eagerly waiting for the day when my husband and I would announce that we were expecting our first child.

Unfortunately, their excitement led to speculation that I was expecting (when I was not), and that I would no longer teach at my studio when I gave birth. The rumor was starting to affect the business of my two-year-old studio and, after praying about it, I decided to address the rumor via email.

While the majority of parents were understanding and appreciative of how I dealt with the situation, one parent wrote back that of course people would think I was pregnant because of an outfit I wore once. She then added, “But you can’t help it that you are short.”

It hurt. We all have things that we are self-conscious of, right? I am self-conscious of the fact that I have curves rather than the typical boxy, ballerina body. This woman had insensitively pointed out one of my physical flaws at a time when my spirit was already bruised. I felt like an insecure thirteen- year- old instead of the successful business-owner that God had allowed me to become.

James tell us, “A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!” He continues, “By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation…”

Amazing, isn’t it, how one of the smallest parts of our body can do the greatest amount of damage? Our words — written, spoken, and thought — can be used to tear others down or speak life to them.
At times, Jesus spoke sharp, well thought-out words. But He spoke them gently and in love. Choose your words wisely. Reach to be Christ-like. Speak with gentleness and kindness.

Kirsten Kline is passionate about dance ministry and is thrilled to live out her calling each day by running her Christian dance studio in Mechanicsburg, PA. Along with teaching and writing, Kirsten enjoys traveling and the theater. She married her amazing husband, Seth, in October of 2009 and they live in Mechanicsburg with their mischievous cat, Prince Caspian. Read Kirsten’s devotions