The story is told of a man who was returning home from work one day and as he neared his home, a neighbor lady approached him in an oncoming car, stretched her head out the driver’s window, looked him square in the eyes, and yelled, “pig!” Taken back by this woman’s rude comment, and having a bad day, this man instinctively replied, but yelling back at her, “You old Heifer!” Feeling a sense of satisfaction, he rounded the corner, and there in the middle of the road was standing a large pig.

Rather than hurling an insult at him, this man’s neighbor was trying to warn him of impending danger. But he was guilty of thinking the worse; speaking before thinking. Consequently he found himself in a rather embarrassing position for which he later had to apologize.

Friends, have you ever found yourself in a similar situation? Have you ever incorrectly judged another person’s actions, words, or thoughts? Each day we live, we ought to appreciate even more the inspired words of James who said, “let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.” (James 1:19).

Steve Higginbotham