"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you." (Eph. 4:31-32)

Two boys on the school playground were discussing a classmate. One of them remarked, "He's no good at sports." The other quickly responded, "Yes, but he always plays fair." The critical one added, "He isn't very smart in school either." His friend answered, "That may be true, but he studies hard." The boy with the mean tongue was becoming exasperated with the attitude of the other. "Well," he sneered, "did you ever notice how ragged his clothes are?" The other boy kindly replied, "Yes, but did you ever notice, they're always clean!" (From Bible Illustrator)

Please notice that one boy countered every negative comment with a positive one. Prov. 16:24 says, "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones." Let us, as Christians, refrain from evil speaking and be kind and merciful to others. Rather than contributing to the spirit of criticism, let us be known as those who cancel it.