The Song with the Wrong Words

A silly song spread through the playground. The tune was catchy, but the words made fun of a boy in another class. Toby heard it so often that he began humming it on the way home.

At supper he started to sing the words aloud. His older brother stopped eating and asked him to explain the song. Toby said everyone knew it. Then he noticed the hurtful nickname in the middle and became quiet.

Dad helped him think about the boy who heard those words every day. A tune could be fun to sing while its message was cruel. Toby had let the words settle into his memory without considering what they meant.

The next morning his friends began the song again. Toby told them he did not want to sing about the boy that way. He suggested a different game and went to ask the boy whether he wanted to join.

Not everyone stopped singing at once. Toby could not control their mouths, but he could choose what came from his own. By the end of the week, the new game's rules filled more of his thoughts than the old tune.

God tells us to guard our hearts. The things we repeat and enjoy can shape the way we treat people. Paying attention to a song, a joke, or a story helps us choose what is worth carrying inside us.