Get The Message?

Get the Message?

Can you identify who said the following famous words?

• a) “Come, Watson, come! The game is afoot.”
• b) “There can be no question, my dear Watson, of the value of exercise before breakfast.”
• c) “I am a brain, Watson. The rest of me is mere appendix.”
• d) “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.”

The first three quotes were spoken by fictional detective Sherlock Holmes to his loyal friend Dr. Watson in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s popular books. The last quote comes from the inventor of the telephone—Alexander Graham Bell.

Bell and Thomas Watson worked to improve the telegraph machine, which was the main mode of long-distance communication from the late 1830s to the mid-1870s. But its dots and dashes had to be interpreted and were a pretty clunky way to communicate. Then on March 10, 1876, Bell was experimenting with “talking with electricity” when he uttered the famous words “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.” He spoke those words during a successful experiment to his assistant, who was sitting in the next room.

Today, it’s hard to imagine communicating without a phone. And technology has advanced even further with cell phones and the ability to talk over the Internet. With the ease of communication, it’s simple to let others know what you’re thinking. And that can be a problem, because we don’t always have the kindest thoughts. James 3:2 says, “We all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.” James is basically saying it’s impossible to control what we say, so being perfect is impossible.

Everybody makes mistakes with their speech and wishes they could take back their words. Before your tongue gets you in trouble, try to think about the effect your words are going to have and the legacy they might leave. Alexander Graham Bell will always be remembered for saying, “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you,” which is a lot better than being known for uttering, “Yo, Watson. Get your lazy self out here!”

Daddy-Daughter Time

Can you think of some words you’d like to take back? We all can. If you haven’t yet apologized for some unkind words, make a point to ask forgiveness of that person soon. Instead of regretting what you say in the future, try to make your words worth remembering. Controlling your words can be anything but, as Sherlock Holmes would say, “elementary, my dear Watson.”

What’s The Word?

We all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.   James 3:2