May 27, 2018

 

Taming the Tongue

Never before in the history of humankind have there been so many voices speaking, voices projected and heard around the world within minutes, even seconds of the pronouncement. And you friend, do not need me to inform you of the tremendous power and effect words possess.  We are all participants as recipients and as deliverers of messages, of words…

Years ago when I taught Speech classes to middle school and high school students, as much as I wanted my students to communicate with eloquence and persuasion,  my primary goal was to teach them the truth…God had given them a tremendous gift of communication and it is a treasure to be responsibly managed and utilized.  Why?  Words are power-filled, poignant, and penetrating.

Like an ARROW…

I remember the morning that our son, Adam, was outside practicing his archery with his age appropriate bow.  He had been instructed before even aiming at his target, to survey the area, confirming that the both the target and the area in which he was practicing were clear of people, especially his sister, our pets, and all other animals. He was instructed to wait and to watch and to wait once more, taking aim, watching, and then, releasing the arrow.  He was a very responsible archer; his dad was a great teacher!   However, one morning our children came running in hollering-screaming, “MOM-the arrow went through Pippi’s ear!”

Pippi was our beautiful white Siamese cat who allowed the neighborhood children to circle around the toy playpen to watch her deliver her kittens. Pippi was a devoted pet and a family friend, and as we ran through the field, I knew I could not let my panic take control!  Of course not because our Pippi had an arrow in her ear; someone had to do something!

They led me to their playhouse where Pippi had run, and we crept inside terrified by what we might find.  There, on top of the toy refrigerator sat Pippi, with an arrow balancing perfectly in her pierced ear. We were dumfounded to see her so calm as she allowed me to come close, to unscrew the arrow tip, and gently slide the arrow from her ear.  WOW- Adam tried to explain that she had been hiding behind the tree and ran out about the time he released the arrow…Thankfully, our Pippi was just fine, with only a slight scar.  But, what lessons learned that day!

Like Arrows…

You and I both know…Words are like arrows. The archer takes careful aim and releases the arrow as it hurls through the air and penetrates the waiting target. Words, like the arrow striking Pippi’s ear, are released by the archer, the messenger…traveling their distance-penetrating the target, the mind and the heart, delivering a message intended to encourage, to inspire, to reassure, to love, or a message intended to discourage, to depress, to destroy, to hate or to crush. Like arrows, once words are released, they cannot be retrieved.

“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”  Proverbs 18:21

The Gift of Communication

I suspect that you are like me.  I often find myself absolutely saturated by voices and messages…words-words-and more words!  And, although I am not immersed in social media, any contact with social media and other forms of mass communication broadcast thousands of messages of shouts, demands, declarations, protests, cries, praises, encouragement, truth and untruth…Words and more words!

I believe-in fact the Bible reveals the truth-we, being made in the image of our Creator God who spoke into existence the world and everything in it-we have been given the gift of communication and we are responsible for our words, the words we speak and those we write. Our words reflect the attitudes and the motivation of our hearts. And, we are responsible to wait, to watch, to think, before and as we generate messages, before we speak, before we write. Yes, those words-our words are like arrows, penetrating the hearts and the minds of the recipients.

Whether we spend our words on social media impacting hundreds or thousands, stand before a crowd to deliver a message, or engage in a private conversation, we are responsible for the gift of communication God has given to humankind.  And this gift, is power-filled, poignant, and penetrating…Like an Arrow…delivering a message to a heart or a mind.

Taming the Tongue

“People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue…”James 3:7-8

Some of the most disheartening moments in my life have been when I have inflicted pain on another person by the words which I have chosen to speak, intentionally and unintentionally…words carelessly chosen.   Fortunately, I have been the recipient of hurtful words, all of us have, and these experiences have been catalysts to help to teach me to wait, to watch, to think, and to pray before speaking, especially in contentious moments, and to steer far away from gossip.

Speak Life…

We love our families, our spouses, our children, our in-laws, our grands and our friends…and God who knows our hearts-knows that our self-control is weak and power-less without His assistance, His Help…and that is the reason He gives us instructions and His Helper, the Holy Spirit. Whether our communication is casual or confrontational, private or on social media, we are responsible to select, to choose our words; words are power-filled, poignant, and penetrating…like an arrow.  Our words have the ability to speak peace into chaos, unity into division, and inspiration into hopelessness.

I am reminded daily to ask God to Help me to restrain my impulse…

• Are my words truthful or am I creating an ‘illusion’?  Lord help me to tell the truth.
• Are my words edifying, inspiring, instructive? Lord, help me to improve the lives of others.
• Are my words filtered through God’s Word and His love? Lord, help my words to speak life?

“A soothing tongue, speaking words that build up and encourage, is a tree of life…” Proverbs 15:4 

I invite you to join me in waiting, watching, thinking and praying before we post, before we write, before we speak to our spouses, our children, our friends, associates, even strangers…asking God to filter our thoughts, our intentions and our words according to His purpose and His love.  After all, we are created in His image. We are granted the opportunity and the ability to speak into a world desperate for God, hungry and thirsty for His Truth…a world listening and vulnerable to the myriad of voices…I pray that messages of Life and Hope are sent forth into the world as arrows, penetrating hearts and minds, And my friends, I know-you know-it is possible with our God! May we intentionally and purposefully speak Life!

Love you in Jesus,