A mother confronted her young daughter about some hurtful words she had said to a friend. To teach her an important lesson, the mother told her girl to take the feathers from her pillow and toss them as she skipped along the country road. After doing this, the little girl returned to her mother asking, “What now?” “Now, you must go back and pick up all the feathers,” replied the mom. The girl protested, “But by now the wind will have blown them all quite far away so I can’t get them back.” And the wise mother warned her daughter, “So it is with your words, dear one. the tongue has no bones but it is strong enough to break a heart. Be careful with your words.”
According to the old nursery rhyme: “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” But it is such a lie. Words DO hurt. And it seems they can’t be forgotten… only forgiven.
James reminds us that the tongue, though small, is boastful and fiery, the cause of much destruction and corruption. Unable to be tamed by human power, it is full of poison. The same tongue that praises God one moment, curses our fellow human beings the next; how wrong is this! Should we ridicule and make fun of those with whom we disagree when God commands us to love and pray for them? Can you find anywhere a sermon on the mount of sarcasm? (Something to think seriously about in and out of political season!) Should not kind and helpful words be matched by our actions?
What if these three gatekeepers always guarded your tongue:
Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it necessary?
Be careful little tongue what you say. Let your words also shine light and give glory to God.
Adapted from James 3:5-12
