As such, great emphasis was placed on educating servicemen and civilians about need for secrecy concerning military matters and massive advertising campaigns were launched. In fact, advertising campaign was so large that no other series of World War II posters portrayed such a recurring theme as this. It is from this era that statement “Loose Lips Sink Ships” was born.

What are effects of gossip? Think. Where does enemy (Satan) get his information – information that can put you, your family, friends or coworkers, adrift on an open sea: information that can damage relationships and cause you to lose even more, unless you personally, vigilantly, perform your duty by not gossiping?

Are we not in our own, local version, of “wartime” each and every day? Is not our Enemy, Satan who watches our every move and listens to our words in order to gather information that can be used against us, or used to influence our words or behavior that will pull us away from God’s love and mercy? Although our daily lives may not contain all horror or evil associated with wartime, battle against good and evil, and how each of us chooses to act, and react, to this on a daily basis is similar.

Most of time, our talk is a positive attribute. It helps us make friends quickly and helps other feel included in a group. But sometimes, we get so caught up in talking and “doing what comes naturally” that we forget to think before we open our mouths.

“The kindest word in all is unkind word, unsaid.” -- Unknown

Reciprocity is our word for today. One dictionary defines word: to give correspondingly. If you lived in Old Testament times, you might have related reciprocity in judicial terms like, “an eye for an eye.” If you are a student of New Testament, you might associate reciprocity with spiritual principle—“…whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.” If you view world through physics, you might relate it to Newton’s third law of motion—to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you…I think you get point.

I am, like you, philosophical by nature. And one philosophy I review often is this. I am today what I planted yesterday. So if I don’t like what I’ve become, then I need to change seeds I’m planting today. In relating this concept to reciprocity, I want to say this. What I plant in lives of others is what I’ll receive in return. Let me illustrate, please. If I pass you on street with a smile and favorable greeting, more then likely, you will reciprocate with a similar greeting; however if I smack you, I can expect a surprise greeting.

I want to carry this thought a little further. If reciprocity and sowing and reaping are valid principles, is it any wonder why so many American youth are so quick to resort to violence when things don’t go their way. Cal Thomas writes, “Why should young people take life seriously when their overworked, aborting, day-care, euthanasia culture does not? Life is so cheap, relationships are so meaningless—children get message. When you mix ingredients for cake, you get cake. When you mix volatile ingredients of corrupted culture, vulgar entertainment and broken, loveless families, you get child killers.” Well, maybe we should read last part of Cal’s words as hyperbole (not every unloved child grows up to be a killer); nevertheless, we do reap what we sow into lives of our children.