Tongue Scraper

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Ephesians 4:29, NIV

I had never heard of a tongue scraper until a sweet and very funny woman brought one to my home and shared it as a beauty tip. I laughed so hard, and the next day I went right to the drugstore to buy one!

Often I think women would benefit from tying a piece of dental floss around the tongue scraper and wearing it as a necklace as a reminder to speak “only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.” We know unwholesome talk does not glorify God, and we sometimes forget about speaking the timely word that does glorify Him, which is alluded to in Proverbs 15:23 (NIV).

James also provides insight about controlling the tongue. James 3:2 says, “If we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.” The power in a tongue for good or for harm pushes me to want more and more of Jesus. James goes on to say, “And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches” (James 3:4-5).

Each day we have dozens of opportunities to speak. As women, we love to communicate, but the more we talk, the more opportunities we have for letting less-than-constructive words come out of our mouths. On the other hand, we can take a positive approach and see just as many opportunities to speak words that glorify God and benefit others.

Let’s ask the Lord to keep our tongues useful to Him to build others up and not harm them in any way! We can be reminded about the good, the bad, and the ugly about our lips by reading James 3.