The Tongue

"The Tongue"


Proverbs 18:21
James 3:3-6
Romans 10:9


The atom is very tiny unable to be seen by the naked eye and seems unsignificant and people often forget it is there. Actually, it is highly significant and people are reminded by the atom on a regular basis, but only when it is made known. Concider 'fission' (splitting of the atom) and 'fusion' (combining/fusing). These two actions have the potential to either: 1. generate enough power to give an entire city power which is a positive thing and is beneficial to the masses (fission), or 2. generate enough distruction to wipe out an entire city which can have devastating and harmful affects that last for years/a lifetime/or even end people's lives all together (fission). It all depends on how and when the fusion occurs.

Our tongue (words) can have the same positive or negative effect on those around us (even strangers that just happen to be within ear-shot of our conversations), depending on how and when we use our words. Our words can produce many results: we can use words to defend or destroy, heal or hurt, can build someone up or tear someone down, curse God or Praise Him, our words can either make or break a marriage or relationships, they can empower someone or crush their spirit/lower their self confidence/esteem. Once your words get carelessly 'flung' out there, you can't take them back, pretend you never said them, or blow it off because you were just joking and you feel that the words you said wouldn't affect you in a negative way so why would they effect someone else in a bad way. Well, you can say a phrase or even one word to 1000 people and you will get 1000 different reactions. Why? Because you don't know other peoples' past, their hurts and insecurities, therefore you have no idea how a person will be affected by your words. This is why you need to take extra care when speaking, because someone is always listening (whether they mean to or not).

Another example is wildfires. On the average 4.3 million acres of forests are destroyed by wildfires. In 2000, 123,000 separate fires destroyed 8.5 million acres. Half of them were caused by natural events, the other half was caused by he carelessness of man. Most people wouldn't intentionally flick a burning match into a forest or start a forest fire on purpose. It is almost always because man was being careless and not thinking about anything but their wants/needs/conveniences and not realizing that the smallest of acts could drastically affect and change the habitation of animals in that forest or the people that would be effected by that small fire or spark. So, because we are in such a world that is trained to commit careless acts, be lazy, and think of no one else except for yourself and live 'for the moment', why would we take extra care of the words that come out of our mouths? When we just joke around or make comments (either casually or intentionally to hurt someone because we are mad and 'in the heat of the moment', we don't take a moment to consider that our words can have to potential to harm someone or scar them emotionally/mentally/spiritually for a long time if not for a lifetime. Once the damage is done, just like a forrest that is afflcted with a wildfire, it takes a long time to put out those 'fires''. It takes more than an 'I'm sorry' to make ammends, because your words can leave such a wound that it will take a long time for it to heal, for the wounded to trust you and others again, and it can affect them in such a way that it has negative reprocussions in their current and future relationships (incuding one with God). This is where the 'rebuilding of the forrest comes in. This process takes a long time if you are willing to expend your time and efforts to help them heal. Sometimes the wound is so deep that, if the wounded is not a believer in Christ, the hurt will last a lifetime.

How do you avoid starting a 'wildfire'? You need to always think before you speak, and ask yourself NOT if what you are going to say would negatively affect YOU, but could it affect others? Where do you start practicing this? It starts at home and with your family because those are the people that can be wounded the worst by your words.

You also need to think of how this affects your spiritual life. If you proclaim to be a Christian and have a personal relationship with Christ, people take extra care when listening to you. Your words will not only affect people around you, but people you don't know, and all of those people's offspring/relationships/and their descendants. If they hear you using hurtful words (even jokingly) and they get hurt (knowing you are a Christian), why would they want to get to know a God that is all about hurting others...because as a representative of Christ that is exactly how you are portraying Him and allowing others to see God through your actions and words.

Your words and actions are your testamony...your legacy. What kind of testamony or legacy are you leaving out there for others to see and remember?