Tongues Afire

I am sure that if you give it some thought you can recall a time when you said something you wish you hadn't.

For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue-a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. - James 3:7-9

James warns us that we can set ablaze an entire forest with a single spark, and that is exactly what we do when we loose the tongue and let it go.

The modern day equivalent of the loose tongue may just be Twitter or FaceBook, where we send sparks out into the world, but I think even with those platforms, the act of typing gives us a means of censoring and editing our thoughts before they fly, something we can't do as well when speaking.

We will see that in action tomorrow night at the first Presidential Debate, but we don't need to be on a global stage to cause trouble with our words.

There is a commercial that make this point quite nicely.  A boy tells his mother's friend she could come into the pool because it is shallow.  Mom says you are shallow so you would probably like it, he exclaims.

The things we say, even when we aren't in a public place, can find a way to come back around to hurt us.

James uses the example that not all of us are meant to be teachers, because teachers are judged greater than others.  What would he have thought about our ability today to reach people we don't even know with every little thought and whim?

Social media are the teachers of our children and grandchildren, and that is scary, given how much out there is not just inaccurate, but downright hateful.

On YouTube, you can find a parody video by TechRax, which instructs iPhone 7 owners to drill a hole in the phone to create their own headphone jack.  You would think the fact that this is a hoax and just for fun would be obvious, but people fell for it and ruined their phones.

When it comes to gaining our education from the vast knowledge in the world, caveat emptor (buyer beware) is the best advice.  People do and say things just to make fools of the rest of us, and the gullible among us (nearly all of us) occasionally fall for it.

So, as James advises, take care in how we use our tongues.  They can praise and curse, lift up and tear down, be a soothing presence, and start a conflagration.

With all that in mind, I submit this daily installment and pray that it lifts more than pulls down.

More to come...