Bridling Our Speech
I won't beat around the bush: I can't stand the dentist. There is something about someone else's hands in my mouth that I can't quite get behind. I know they mean well and want to help promote dental hygiene and all, but there is little excitement surrounding dentists. However, they've got one thing going for them:
Toothpaste
Something about toothpaste fascinated me as a kid. I sat through all of that drilling, cleaning and useless conversation — "My mouth is full of sterilized metal, stop asking me questions I can't answer." — but in the end I walked away with a bag of free stuff. I got a toothbrush, some floss (which is no longer necessary according to this article, we're on to you dentists), and a little tube of toothpaste.
There’s something about squeezing toothpaste out of a tube that is so satisfying, especially for an eight year old. And although it’s really easy to get toothpaste out of the tube, it’s awfully hard to get it back in.
It's the law of toothpaste.
I've been studying the book of James recently. Something I need to be reminded of very often is that my speech should reflect the heart of God. My talk doesn't always lift up others or glorify the Lord. It just doesn't. I hate that and wish it wasn't the truth. What we say matters to God. James writes:
If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.
My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water
James 3:3-12
When we have control over our tongues, we have better control over ourselves; just as a horse bridled with a bit is controlled by its rider and a ship is guided by its rudder. The tongue is small, and yet it has such control.
I love how James speaks of fire here. In the first century, people depended on fire to heat the inside of their homes (no central heat and air, folks). A draft from an open window could start a blaze that would not be easily contained. The very fire that brought the comfort of warmth also brought with it the possibility of reckless destruction.
How many times has my tongue resembled a devastating fire more than the warmth of the heart of Christ?
Verse 9 sticks with me. We can praise God and lift him up, glorifying him in worship with our speech, but we can also curse those who were made in his very image with our speech. How true is this? We speak ill of others, we speak harshly or in condescension. We gossip, we judge, we hurt. We praise God and at the same time curse those he created.
Unwholesome talk should have no place in our lives. It shouldn’t be uttered from our lips. We shouldn't be double minded. That's tough. But God calls us to a higher standard. It's certainly something I need to work on. I need to bridle my speech more consciously. That person I judge, gossip about, or hurt with my speech is worth so much more in the eyes of God. Because God chose me I know he can redeem the worst of people and use them for his good. There is unconditional equality at the foot of the cross.
The words we have said cannot be taken back. Like toothpaste, they cannot be placed back in the tube. But there is always room for improvement. We can always look forward and work to glorify God with all of our speech. We can use our words to build up, encourage and work in the lives of the people around us every day. God has chosen to use us for this purpose. Let's look to wisdom from above as we combat this temptation. Our words matter to God and can unite us in serving his greater plan. Toothpaste only fulfills its purpose when used correctly, otherwise it's just a nasty, minty mess.