restrict your remarks to the weather

"...his heart is pure before me, for he is like unto Nathanael of old, in whom there is no guile." Doctrine & Covenants 41:11

"Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" John 1:47

To be pure in heart, we must have not guile, meaning deceit or fraud. Apparently, purity and honesty go hand in hand. I have a goal this year to be absolutely honest in speech. It's not as if I am a blatant liar, but might sugar coat things or exaggerate. These ways are not completely honest and therefore are not leading me to a pure heart. I'll be Margaret Dashwood whose mother suggested, "If you cannot think of anything appropriate to say, you will, please, restrict your remarks to the weather."

Honesty is a good thing in communication; unkindness is not. If changing the subject to the weather will not rout unkind communication, then the Thumper rule will. "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." I think those that thoughtfully take care with their words are much happier than those like me, who are at times a bit passionate in expressing ideas.

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." Mother Theresa

All this leads to this--kind guilelessness create in us a pure heart. This is something worth pursuing.