James 3:6 “And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. it can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.”
“Why did I say that,” I cried to myself as I drove home that day. My boss had lit a fire under me with just one comment, and that was all it took for me to spew pent-up frustration. “Do I do anything right,” I said? He looked like I had slapped him, but he quickly recovered. He went on to explain how I had to have been the person to do a task wrong because everyone else had done it correctly before. Therefore, by his reasoning, it had to be me. It wasn’t me, but he wasn’t budging. I honestly don’t know why I felt the need to defend myself that day, but he was wrong! And he had to know it! The months of his nit-picking, in my mind, had built up such resentment in me.
As I drove home that day, I rehashed and rehashed the heated conversation in my mind. He said this. Then I said that. I can’t believe he would say that! Over and over it went. When I got home, I really didn’t want to talk about it. I was exhausted from the emotional turmoil, but my husband deserved an answer as to why I was in such a state. And so I told him. He said this. I said that. And I went through the whole ugly story again.
I was ashamed. While nothing I said was untrue or unkind, it sure was forceful. It was loud. And I couldn’t stop. I knew that I was treading on thin ice and bordering on insubordination, but I couldn’t stop. Why couldn’t I control my tongue?
My mouth has gotten me in more trouble that I would ever care to recount. It’s got me in some harrowing situations and has been the cause of my crawling back to wounded friends with shameful apologies.
I’m so glad that James tackles this subject in his letter to Jewish Christians because I for one, need to read it. James is concerned with how they speak to one another, as it influences their relationships. He says the tongue, in a sense, acts as it own agent; however, it impacts every area of our lives. While it is one of the strongest muscles in our bodies, it’s also in a way, the weakest. We’re unable to control it. One gets the point when they’re reading through this section that it’s hopeless to even try and tame it. But it’s not. James is simply painting a picture of how dangerous our speech is and how it can do more damage sometimes than physical destruction. We can’t take words back. And we can’t undo the damage that’s been done once it occurs.
Further, our well can’t have two buckets. As James says in v. 11, “Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water?” We can’t fix it. But the Holy Spirit can. If he lives in us, out of us can flow fresh, clean, nourishing water. We don’t have to hold in the bitter water that constantly threatens to spill over. As the old saying goes, “When your cup is bumped, what spills over?”
How do you handle it when you face conflicts with others? Do others know you as a loose cannon? Do you want fresh water to freely flow from you, giving praise to God constantly?
Encouragement for Today
1 Peter 3:9 “Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.” NLT
Proverbs 21:23 “Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.” NLT
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