Exploding Bubble Gum!

Jason,the High school Youth Minister at 24:7,bought hundreds (if not thousands) of  gumballs to go into his bubble gum bank. Quickly Jason realized that the product he purchased was too large to fit into his machine.  As a result, because one man can only eat so much gum, Jason has been searching for ways to use the oversized gumballs.  He has used them as prizes, shared them with every "drop-in" and "appointment" office guest, used them in office pranks (my office has been rather colorful at times--that is what a gumball covered office floor provides)...and...he has used gumballs as weapons.

As you can see, gumballs explode! Oh, not spontaneously, but when thrown against solid objects such as a wall or desk they explode and leave all kinds of shrapnel (tiny pieces). 

A beautiful candy turned into a weapon of pain?  Yep--and it hurts!

A beautiful candy that adds color to an often dull, grey world shattered into tiny pieces of white?  Yep--and it hurts! (I am being a little dramatic here)

Here comes the point. How often do we use our words, which are able to bring comfort and add color to an often dull, grey world, as weapons that leave tiny pieces of painful memories?  Let's remember what Paul said,

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. Eph.4:29

This is something both teenager and adult need to remember.