I was talking with a group of friends about the importance of thinking before speaking. Another mom shared how she found herself being more mindful of her words when she thought about how they might sound coming out of her daughter’s mouth.

It made me think about something that happened at my house when my youngest was five. She was talking on the phone to a friend while my husband and I chatted in the kitchen. After my daughter was finished, she left the phone on the counter and ran off to play outside. Wyeth and I continued to talk a while before I remembered I needed to call my sister. I picked up the phone to dial and was horrified to see it was still on, counting down the minutes since our daughter had received her phone call, almost an hour before.

I immediately raced through our conversation in my head. Did I say anything gossipy, hurtful, or rude? What if the parents of that little girl heard what we discussed?

Later, when I shared this with my friends, I felt embarrassed that I even had to replay the conversation in my head to make sure I hadn’t spoke poorly. It was a huge wake-up call to me, to think before I speak—always mindful that God is listening (even when I’m sure all the phones are turned off).

Heavenly father, thank you for the phone call! Please give me the forethought to always use my words to build up, rather than tear down.