Having a Patient Tongue

A lesson in Patience  from the Letter of James

Characters:  James and Kerry

Video Link: Click here

James:  Boys and girls, welcome to chapel today.  My names is James.  And I wrote a letter that became a part of the famous book called the Bible.  Can you saw Bible?  And I….

Kerry: Hi!  How are you doing?  My name is Kerry.

James: Kerry, I was trying to talk to the children…

Kerry: Can I go outside and play?  Can I have some ice cream?  Can I go to the store?

James:  Kerry, we are not doing any of that today.  And you need to stop interrupting.  You need to wait your turn to speak.  In fact I was about to teach these boys and girls something.  Do you think you can be silent for a few minutes.

Kerry: I don’t know if I can.  I just want to talk all of the time?  How do I stop talking?

James:  Well, that is what I am going to talk about today.  I would like to give you a riddle.  Do you like riddles?

Kerry:  Yes, but what is a riddle?

James: A riddle is a problem that you have think about.  And my riddle is this: What is a very small muscle that might be the strongest muscle of the body?

Kerry: That’s hard.  Is it the stomach muscle? 

James: No, Kerry.  Boys and girls, what do you think your smallest and strongest muscle is?  Is it your arm muscle?  Let me see your arm muscle?  Is it your leg muscle?  Let me see your leg muscle?  No, those are bigger muscles.  Do you know what muscle I am talking about?

Kerry: No…please tell us.

James:  The smallest but strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.  Let me see your tongue.  What do you use your tongue for?

Kerry:  I use it to lick an ice cream cone. 

James: But do you use your tongue to talk?

Kerry:  Yes, I use my tongue to talk.  But how is my tongue strong?

James: Our tongue is strong because when we speak we can do some very strong things.  A general can talk and all of the soldiers will go into a battle.  And that is strong.  But our tongue is so strong it can hurt people.  Do you like bad things said to you? 

Kerry:  No, I don’t …bad things can hurt my feeling and make me feel sad and cry.  I guess the tongue is strong enough to hurt our feelings.

James:  But a tongue is also strong enough to help people and make them feel better.  What if I say to you that you are a very good girl and you are growing up to be strong.  What if I say that I like you?  What if I say can I help you?  What if I say nice and kind things to you?

Kerry: I would like that.

James:  Do you see how strong the tongue is?  It can do nice things and very bad things.  But the tongue has to be controlled.

Kerry: Sometimes, I want to talk all of the time.  How do I stop my tongue?

James:  Well, you need to have a patient tongue.  If your tongue is patient, you wait your turn to speak.  When you are patient, you raise your hand in class before you speak.  If you do that you will have a patient tongue.

Kerry: But it is hard to have a patient tongue.

James:  Kerry, I believe that you and these boys and girls are superheroes?

Kerry:  How are we superheroes?

James:  You are superheroes because you are strong enough to control what your tongue says.  You are strong enough to have a patient tongue.  You are strong enough to say kind and nice things and to wait your turn to speak.

Do you think you can be that kind of superhero?

Kerry:  Well, I’ll try.

James:  Good, then you and all of the boys and girls repeat after me:  “I am a strong super hero.”

Kerry:  I am a strong super hero.

James:  I have a patient tongue.

Kerry:  I have a patient tongue.

James: Good so now you can practice being a super hero today because you are strong enough to have a patient tongue.