An unpleasant, yet enlightening, scene unfolded in a grocery store parking lot when a man parked his vehicle so that its front bumper barley grazed the bumper of the vehicle ahead of him. No dent or scratch was to be seen, yet the driver of the other vehicle complained loudly for a rather long time, and made frequent checks for evidence of damage. The errant driver sat quietly in his car as the verbal assault escalated. Still shouting angry epithets, the other driver drove away.

A customer who had witnessed much of the episode made eye contact with the gentleman who had endured the harangue with such dignity, and said it seemed that the other driver was having a bad day.

"Yes, it does. But she certainly is generous," he said. "She insisted on sharing it with me."

The man's humorous response helped put things into perspective. His attitude seemed to convey the idea that although the incident was unpleasant it wasn't worth getting upset over.

Many today can understand the anguish of David's lamentation: "My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword." (Psalm 57:4.)

The gentleman in the car must have felt the pain or, at least, discomfort delivered by a sharp tongue.

What purpose was served by the verbal assault? Who benefited from it? Certainly, not the man at whom it was aimed and, most likely, not the instigator. The only winner was he who would "rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger. . . . " (2 Nephi 28:20.)

In 1909, the Church published "Deseret Sunday School Songs." One song contained this verse:

Angry words, oh, let them never

From the tongue unbridled slip;

May the heart's best impulse ever

Check them ere they soil the lip.

Satan knows the power of a tongue out of control. The person who berates someone removes himself or herself from the presence and influence of the Spirit of the Lord, thereby coming under the influence of the devil.

James spoke of the necessity of controlling the tongue: "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

"And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell." (James 3:5-6.)

Further, James spoke of the untamed tongue as "unruly, full of deadly poison." (James 3:8.)

The religious faiths of the two people in the Utah grocery store parking lot remain unknown to observers. Whether one or both were Latter-day Saints was not evident. The behavior of the one who launched the verbal tirade certainly isn't in keeping with Church teachings.

The one who silently endured the verbal assault exemplified the valuable asset of self-control and strength as taught in the Old Testament: "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." (Proverbs 16:32.)

One might wonder if the gentleman might have had in his mind the example set by Jesus who stood composed, calm and serene as He endured railings and false accusations.

It would be easy to imagine this silent man in the parking lot among followers such as those who gathered on a hillside in Galilee to be taught by Jesus. It wouldn't be a far stretch of the imagination that he took to heart the Savior's teachings regarding love, forgiveness and long-suffering.

Were he there at the Master's feet, certainly he would have heeded the counsel: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." (Matthew 5:44.)

If only we could be such star pupils of the great Teacher.