Do you think you could go 24 hours without complaining?

Thursday is Thanksgiving. Being thankful should not be reserved for one day of the year. Which begs the question, Do you think you could go 24 hours without complaining?

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of "Words That Hurt, Words That Heal", often lectures on the impact of words. He asks audiences if they can go twenty-four hours without saying any unkind words about another person or to another person. Invariably, a small number of listeners raise their hands, signifying yes. Others laugh, and quite a large number call out, “No!”

Telushkin says, “Those of you who can’t answer yes must recognize that you have a serious problem. If you cannot go twenty-four hours without drinking liquor, you are addicted to alcohol. If you cannot go twenty-four hours without smoking, you are addicted to nicotine. Similarly, if you cannot go twenty-four hours without saying unkind words about others, then you have lost control over your tongue.”

—Rick Ezell, One-Minute Uplift (July 21, 2006) /Larson, C. B., & Ten Elshof, P. (2008). 1001 illustrations that connect (487). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.