I don’t remember much from my school days but one thing I do recall is a poster on the wall in the history classroom which carried the slogan ‘Careless Talk Costs Lives’.

It was a poster used in the Second World War to remind people that any slip of the tongue could place others in danger.

There was a similar poster from that era that carried the slogan ‘Loose Lips Sink Ships’ and again the message was made clear, careless words have the potential to cause trouble.

Watching the news recently has brought these posters to mind as the headlines seem to suggest that certain world leaders are less than careful with their words. Threats and counter-threats about power, position and conquest seem very unwise in a world where the vast majority of people only want to live at peace with one another. Such words, in turn, fuel news headlines that speak of the ‘inevitability’ of war.

I am reminded of the illustration used in many a school assembly of the tube of toothpaste whereby the children race to see who can empty the tube first, only then to be asked to see who can get the toothpaste back into the tube the quickest – it is great fun watching them try, but almost impossible! Likewise, words come easily out of mouths but getting them ‘back into the tube’ is hopeless.

A man called James writes in the bible: “The tongue is a small part of the body but makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.” He recognises that much damage can be done through careless words that are spoken in haste.

While ‘loose talk’ on the world stage has the potential to lead to an escalation of conflict, we are reminded that the same truth applies to all of us in our personal relationships, our involvement in the community or in the place of work.

Recognising that words have power, we are encouraged to use them wisely, to build each other up, and to treat one another with respect.

Let your conversation be always seasoned with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:6).