DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- STUMBLING OVER MY TONGUE

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – STUMBLING OVER MY TONGUE

"For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body." (James 3:1).

James is exactly right. I stumble in a lot of things. And many of the reasons I stumble is because of my tongue. I say things that I should not say.

How often do I fulfill the adage, "He put his mouth in motion before his brain was in gear." Things slip out of my mouth that I didn't intend to say, or if I had thought about it more, would not have said it. But words are like toothpaste. It is impossible to squeeze them back into the tube.

James says that the person who is perfect – or as the marginal reading says, mature – does not say everything that crosses his mind. I think a lot of things do not need to be said, especially negative or critical words.

James gives a lot of illustrations. The tongue can build up or it can destroy. It can spread poison or it can bring health. It can cause a raging fire or it can put out fires. It can be a fountain of pure, refreshing water or it can spread brackish salt water of bitterness. It can steer into evil or into godliness. It can be a source of blessing or cursing.

When James says that no one can tame the tongue, it is true. There is a difference between taming something and controlling it. A lion in a circus may be controlled, but it is not tamed. There is within it the wild nature that can turn on the lion trainer without notice. The best we can do is to cage it or put a leash on it. Only as we submit our tongues to the Holy Spirit can we control it. As the Psalmist wrote, "Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips" (Psalm141:3).

The person who is able to control his tongue is a mature person. He asks himself the question, "Do I really need to say this?" Anything that is not edifying, he puts back into the cage.

Taking control of what I say will go a long way towards keeping me from stumbling. It is better to be thought a fool than to prove it by what I say.

Love, Dad