“For whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” - I Peter 3:10-12

My husband and I have been married two years. Early in our dating life we knew that wanted to serve Christ together and build a family. After eight months of dating we were engaged. After eight months of being engaged we were married. We now have a seven-month-old and more child one on the way. The past two years have been full of cheers and challenges.

Even though we have good intentions, praying together, seeking the Lord together and individually, life still gets messy. Christians, married and single alike, are under this ridiculous delusion that to serve Christ well we must give the impression that our lives are spotless. However, walk into any marital living room, even a Christian one, and you will find stains of conflict on the carpet, the dust of selfishness that has settled on the curtains, and the stench of pride in the air.

The truth of the matter is, marriage is a full-speed-ahead transformational journey where we find ourselves detached from self-aggrandizement and looking more like Christ. It is a journey that starts with the tongue. After all, when we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, we commit to model Christ to the world.

My parents have been married for forty-five years, and in order to continue building a successful marriage, I often glean from my mother’s wisdom. One time she told me this: "The wedding is so nice because someone gives you the words to say and you repeat them. Then you smile and say, 'Oh, look what we just did!' But in marriage no one is around to give you the words that will help you love each other and follow Jesus."

I'm sorry...I love you… I was wrong...Thank you...Let's start over...

Saying these words ushers in acts of kindness and reconciliation. They are not always as much fun to say as, "I take you to be my lawfully wedded spouse," but they sure do clean up the mess that our sin can make.

Your tongue is a powerful instrument. It can speak words of love and repentance which keep your soul oriented towards God and, in turn, direct your actions to model those of Christ. If you have chosen the way to everlasting life, then speak life. In all relationships resist gossip, slander and other sly forms of evil. Lean in to the guidance of the Holy Spirit to hold your tongue or say that which requires humility. Glorify Christ in each of your relationships and the world.

Discussion Question: In what ways are we loose with our speech (at work, with family and friends, talking to strangers)? How can we be more mindful about what we say? In what ways have your words pointed others away from evil and towards Christ?

See more devotions from Monique and our other Young Adult writers, or find our how you can become a writer yourself, at our By Young Adults for Young Adults devotion page.