What Did You Say?
With the tongue, we praise our Lord and Father, and with it, we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both freshwater and saltwater flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. James 3:9-12
Insight
Game night in our family often gets rowdy, competitive, and, sometimes, messy, especially when we play "Watch Ya Mouth." For those not familiar with this hilarious game, a player puts a mouth guard straight out of a dentist's horror story and has 60 seconds to get their squad to guess as many keywords or phrases as possible. Inevitably, the reader drools and tries to enunciate their words while everyone in the room dies of laughter.
But let's be honest. We all can think of a time when the words people spoke didn't bring a smile to our faces. Words stay with us for such a long time. Some get burned into our memory. The words of a loving parent or mentor spurred some on to greater deeds, while for others hearing they were "unlovable, stupid, or worthless" negatively shaped the trajectory of their lives.
Our words hold enormous power. They heal and encourage as well as cripple and destroy. The imagery James uses to highlight the power of the tongue is the bit and rudder - small pieces that have a profound impact on one's direction. Even though it is easy to underestimate their significance, our words control the course of our lives and relationships.
We might feel it is no big deal that a few words spoken in anger escaped our mouths. However, words can ruin a relationship for years to come. Like a fire raging out of control, there is often no way to reverse the damage of angry words. We get ourselves into trouble with our mouths. But something is happening deep beneath the surface that often goes unnoticed. Our words reveal and reflect what lies inside our hearts.
Then, it is only natural for us to attempt to hide our struggles, whether it is poor self-esteem, anger, envy, depression, pride, or a host of other crippling conditions. Yet, as hard as we might try to keep them under wraps, it is only a matter of time before they make an appearance through our words.
Until we realize the source of our words and their impact on others, we will end up in places that we did not want to go and hurt people along the way. We need to cultivate the habit of stewardship when it comes to our words. Stewardship means to manage. Just like in our favorite board game, the key to controlling our tongue is slowing down our speech and being intentional with every word we utter.
Our speech speaks to the maturity of our faith (Ephesians 4:15). Controlling our tongue involves more than mere discipline. It is about leveraging the potential of our words to become a fountain of life. For this to take root in our lives, we must continually draw water from the well of our surrendered hearts (Proverbs 10:11). So, today, "watch ya mouth" and use your words for good.
Reflection
What was the last thing you said out of anger that you regret?
How did your words influence your relationship with the other person? Where do you need to ask for forgiveness for your words?
Prayer
God, I don't give a second thought to the power of the words that I speak. They flow out of my mouth with little to no thought. This carelessness has caused hurt and pain to others. I desire to display the courage to seek forgiveness in these places. I desperately want to experience control over my tongue but realize this is impossible without Your grace and the mighty power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.