Some people are animal lovers. But one man was so enamored with the strange Indian creature called the mongoose that he decided to order two of the animals.

    He started to compose his letter to the dealer. It first read:

Dear Sir:
Please send me two mongeese.

    He looked at the letter and decided that mongeese was not quite right. He changed it to..

Dear Sir:
Please send me two mongooses.

    Frustrated, he tore up the paper. Neither plural form seemed to fit. Finally, he crafted another letter.

Dear Sir:
Please send me one mongoose. And while you’re at it, send me another.

Sometimes it is hard to find just the right word.

    Sometimes it is hard to find just the right word. Without the weapon of the right word, we often miss the mark of what we want to communicate.

    That’s especially true when we want to talk to someone about their soul. Not wanting to offend, we stumble and stammer. Eventually, we just give up because we don’t know what to say.

    But don’t give up. When a person’s soul is at stake, it is better to say something that is not quite right than say nothing at all. Frame the word with love and concern, and the vocabulary will take care of itself.

    Don’t let a tied tongue stop you. Speak truthfully and lovingly and the words will come.

Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t be afraid and don’t worry. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But you must do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak evil against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. (1 Peter 3:13-16)

© 2002, Robert G. Taylor. Used by permission.

Title: "How Do You Say It?"
Author: Robert G. Taylor
Publication Date: May 1, 2002

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