Written by Chrystal Evans Hurst
December 1, 2017
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“Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!” James 3:5 (NKJV)
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We’d
enjoyed a great holiday weekend — a great time with family, lots of
time to fellowship and awesome food. I seasoned the meat. My husband
grilled. The best part? Cooking over the coals outside meant no cleanup
for me!
Early
the next morning, my husband took out the trash. He gathered the dark
rocks from the night before, threw them in a black plastic bag and put
them out with the rest of the trash. He left for work, and I turned my
focus to the business of starting yet another day of work, managing the
home and school with the kids.
A
couple hours later, my doorbell rang. My neighbor stopped by to tell me
my trash can was smoking. I looked outside to check. She was right.
There was a thin wisp of smoke rising. I called my husband to ask him if
I should be concerned. He assured me all would be fine. I went back to
focusing on my work and home and kids.
Not
too long after, another neighbor knocked on the door and told me the
same thing. I looked at the trash can again. Things looked the same. I
reassured the concerned neighbor that my husband wasn’t worried, and the
small cloud hovering over the container hadn’t changed much as the
morning progressed.
An
hour later, when one of my boys asked if I knew about the smoke in the
front of our house, I flippantly reassured him that I did. He urged me
to look again because the smoke was getting bigger.
I
walked through my front door expecting to see the same dainty trail of
smoke that I’d noticed all morning. Instead, I walked outside to find
smoke billowing into the air. I made my way closer to the can to peer
inside and was met with the sight of flames licking up and out of the
container.
Fire!
I
ran inside to grab my cell phone, call my husband and grab a bucket of
water. By the time I made it back outside, the trash can was melting.
And the flames were much bigger than before.
I called the fire department.
Can I just say that I felt like an idiot, watching the big ol’ firetruck pull up in front of my house?
In no time flat, they put out the fire and talked to me and my husband,
who’d come home from work, about making sure coals are cool before
disposing of them.
Such a small thing can cause a big problem.
James 3:5 reminds us that while our tongue is small, it can cause major damage if it’s not attended to or kept in check. “Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!”
It’s
tempting to think how we use our tongues is inconsequential. Our words
may not appear to do much damage, so we aren’t more careful. We put our
words into the world when we should hold our tongue and let our hearts
or emotions cool down first. We ignore all indicators that tell us we
might be setting something (or someone) on fire.
And when people try to tell
us that we’ve hurt or offended them with our words or that our speech
is not helpful, we hear them, but move on, unaware or indifferent to the
smoldering danger that can destroy someone close to us.
I’m
reminded today that my words have power. The power to heal and the
power to hurt. Words are no small thing. May I encourage you to be
careful how you use your tongue? Let’s choose blessing over cursing.
Help over hurt. And choose to wait rather than rush the wrong words into
the world.
Dear
God, help me use my tongue in a way that honors You. I don’t want this
small part of my body to cause damage in my own or in others’ lives.
Help me be aware of the power of my tongue and use it to honor others
and glorify You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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Truth For Today
Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (NASB)
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