James, a little book of wisdom: I should never have said that!

Today’s wisdom:

Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 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.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

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 fresh water and salt water 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 3:1-12

My random musings:

‘I should never have said that.’

I have an exceptional gift for every now and then, saying something completely outrageous that sounded so reasonable in my head. In fact, maybe I never played it in my head first to see whether it was reasonable of not, because if I had, I’d have known how outrageous it really was. It just came out. In these situations, the words just tumble out of my mouth. I seemingly have no control, no filter, no restraint. And once out, they can’t be taken back. My kids think it’s hilarious and love to humiliate me for years to come (yes, literally years!) by repeating back the most outrageous quotes.

And then there are the evenings with friends or the meetings, after which I beat myself up for having talked too much. That happens pretty regularly.

My tongue is far from tame.

I have a feeling that James felt the same. He’s not just addressing these words to others: he says ‘we’. He recognises the responsibility of being a leader, a teacher, and how your words will be even more significant if you are a role model to others – and I sense that he’s beating himself up here. He has a real downer on the power of words, doesn’t he? This feels like quite a rant! The images are flowing – the horse, the ship, the fire, the spring, the fig tree, the vine. You get the picture.

Something has really got to James. Something he has said or someone else has said has caused an awful lot of damage. Or maybe this is the culmination of years of overseeing a growing group of believers in Jerusalem, where much of the damage has come from within the group through the words of one to another. That can be true in our churches, can’t it? We hurt each other and drag each other down so often by what we say to each other and about each other.

What James doesn’t focus on here, however, is the converse: the power of words to heal and encourage and build up. The tongue is used to teach, the tongue is used to praise God. The tongue can be used for good.

Words matter. How we choose to use our words matters.

The key for me is the last point James makes here. Yes, words tumble out of our mouths. We find it hard to control them at times. But our words are the overflow of our hearts. If our hearts are in the right place, aligned with the nature of God, then the words that come out will be the right words. Maybe the emphasis should be on an inner transformation rather than trying to tame that which cannot be tamed. I find this really helpful. I am a words person and I see words as a powerful force for good. If my heart is overflowing with love and joy and peace and so much more, then my words will reflect that.

My question for you:

Which image of the tongue works best for you and how do you feel challenged about the words that come out of your mouth?