27/04/2026
THE CONSEQUENCES OF A CARELESS TONGUE
BY PASTOR MUYAMBANGO MUYAMBANGO
Some friendships do not end loudly like Mosi O Tunya thundering smoke. They fade quietly like busika (tamarind) pulp in child’s mouth. People become distant, conversations lose depth, and suddenly the closeness you once enjoyed is gone. You start asking what happened, as if the answer is hidden somewhere far away. In many cases, it is not. It is much closer. It came from your own mouth.
What you said did not stay where you said it. Words rarely do. They move. They pass from one person to another, often faster than you expect and farther than you imagine. By the time they reach the person you were talking about, they may be slightly changed or completely distorted. But whether accurate or exaggerated, the effect is the same. Trust is broken.
Gossip often feels harmless in the moment. It sounds like ordinary conversation. It may even feel justified. But once it leaves your lips, you lose control over it. You cannot guide how it is repeated or how it is received. What seemed small to you can feel like betrayal to someone else.
That is where the distance begins. People do not always confront you. Instead, they adjust. They speak less freely around you. They stop sharing personal matters. Eventually, they step back altogether. Not because they suddenly changed, but because they no longer feel safe.
And you are left wondering what went wrong.
The truth is simple. Your words got there before you did. They spoke on your behalf, and they did not represent you well.
Speech carries weight. It builds trust or breaks it. It can strengthen relationships or quietly destroy them. Once spoken, it cannot be taken back. Apologies may help, but they do not erase memory.
So when friendships grow cold, it is worth asking an honest question. Not just what happened between you and them, but what left your mouth about them. Because sometimes the problem is not complicated at all.
Your mouth happened.
The Southern Preacher
To Be Alive is a Great Idea!
