James 3:7-12 (The Message)
7-10 This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!
10-12 My friends, this can’t go on. A spring doesn’t gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don’t bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don’t bear apples, do they? You’re not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?
Today I spent a very nice day with my brother and sisters and my little mama. We had a wonderful dinner thanks to my brother and his awesome wife. We played corn hole…told jokes….caught up on each others lives…reminised about the old days….and before we knew it was time to go home.
Well I was thinking on our way home that all visits with family are not that peaceful and not that good. Go ahead and smile….. I know your saying….”I know”. However today was one of the rare occasions that we all just loved each.
Well then I also started thinking about why things turn so badly sometimes when we get together. Answer??????? 99 % of the time it is over something that should have never been said. Come on we have all been there….we have said a rude comment that hurt someones feelings or just plain out disrespected someone. Yes even sometimes we say things that we never meant to harm anyone with them words but they hurt them never the less.
I for one have cause some damage a time or two with things I have said. However though being the kind of person I am I have been on the other side quit a few times. there has been so many times in my life that words have crushed and sometimes even broken my spirit and even my heart. Actually somethings I am still overcoming to today. Sometimes I wonder if some wounds of words spoke to me will ever heal.
I can remember as a child saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words will never hurt me…” SO NOT TRUE!!!! Words cut deeper and cause more damage than anything I know. I remember when I was married the first time I was verbally and physically abused. When I look back on them dark times I can see that my bones mended. The bruises faded. The blood from a bloody nose was wiped away. However, every single word he said to me……well I can pretty much remember them all. I can remember names he called me, threats he made, cut downs that came on very regular bases. But more than the words I can remember the impact, the pain, the wound, the feelings that came with each one of them…..Just words……No….No….No not just words…….wound bearing words…….Hurtful words that carried a forever impact on my life.
If only we understood how serious every single word is that we speak. i f we cared enough to filter every single word. If we could just comprehend how much power our tongues have. According to God’s word..Proverbs 18:12 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Death or Life!!!!!!!! A huge responsiblity that so many of us fail miserably at. Our tongues can do so much damage. It actually can ruin friendships that took a lifetime to build, cause misunderstandings about simple things, sometimes it can cause a huge barrier or wall to be put up between your brothers, sisters, parents, children, cause a marriage to turn into divorce, make someone give up on life…….etc.
So my challenge to you today is think about the words that you spoke today. Did you speak life or death into someones life today? If you realize you spoke any hurtful….death bearing words to anyone make it a top priority to go to that person and truly say…”I am sorry.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father I love you. I truly thank you for the healing you have done in my life. You and you alone have mended my brokenness caused by so many hurtful words that have torn down my spirit and cause me to see myself as a nobody. You picked up the pieces of my heart and gave me strength to forgive the ones that have hurt me, and the courage to love them unconditionally. But most of Lord I thank you for setting me free from the bondage of them words. I thank you for the power to let them words go. I loved you Lord and I am forever grateful for reminding me that I am a somebody….I am important…..I do have a purpose…Thank you for reminding me of who i am….A daughter of the Most High God, your precious child, my favorite…The Apple of Your Eye. Lord forgive me for everyone single word that has cause harm in someone’s life. Help me, give me strength to speak words of life, words of encouragement, words of love, words of mercy, in every situation. Help me to remember that sometimes….actually alot of times things are better left unspoken. Help me to learn to filter every single thing from my mouth through the Holy Spirit.
In Jesus name
Amen
