It feels like we still have a long way to go and yet every day now the media is full of the claims and counter claims of politicians as we head to our General Election. Quotes of what he and she said litter our newscasts. Every word that comes out of a politician’s mouth is scrutinised and judged. It will be a long few weeks ahead!
“We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” (James 3 v 2-6)
The tongue how power, influence and it impacts its surroundings. It is so small and so powerful as we see with the examples of horses, ships and forest fires.
Words matter and it is right that they are scrutinised and judged. Whether coming out of mouths or on emails or media posts, they have the power to influence, to hurt and destroy, to divide or unite.
The words that I use: Is this helpful? Does it build the person up? Is it beneficial?
Everyone can criticise but we are called to construct. Building someone up isn’t to massage ego or tip-toe around issues why they may need building up. What someone wants to hear and what they need to hear can be very different. Sometimes what is needed is not a pat on the back, a sympathetic shoulder to cry on, we need a hard word set in the context of kindness, a revelatory word set in the presence of the Spirit, something spoken that hasn’t been said before but said in love.
We do need words that will move us out of a position we may be stuck in. We do need words to think the opposite. We do need words to dare to believe in the face of opposition that something just maybe true!
Choose your words carefully today. Slow your mouth down. Don’t type so fast on your social media feeds. What will flow from you today?
Our words give out energy. Negative energy or positive energy, and that energy, gets absorbed by the listener.
What are we saying? What do our words sound like? Positive or negative?
Building up or tearing down? Selfish or selfless? Do we boast, do we complain and whinge, are we critical and cruel?
The tongue has the power to do damage. With our tongues, marriages are destroyed, children grow up with a poor self-image because nothing positive was spoken to them by their parents, they end up devastated and rebellious because the words they receive tear them apart. Friendships are lost, division takes root and bitterness sets in, all because of the tongue.
Missions Paul 