September 13, 2009
Taming the Tongue
- Proverbs 1:20-33
- Dr. Teri Thomas
This week James is teaching on the power of speech. Actually, he has stopped teaching and started meddling.
Speech appears to be a mixed blessing. Most of our figures of speech about speech, are negative. "Mind your tongue!" "Keep your mouth shut!" "Button your lip!" "Motor mouth!" "Stifle yourself, Edith!" Even, "Silence is golden,"
I have a sign someone gave me. It says, Feel God’s arm around your shoulder, and God’s hand over your mouth.
The readings this morning are about the power of words. Words can hurt or heal – they can tear down or build up. Words are powerful.
When we hear a word it affects everything from our ears to our pituitary gland. Our whole physical system reacts. The physical-chemical reaction inside us can take 72 hours to subside.
It takes even longer for the reverberations outside of us to come to an end.
Last month at Faithful Word Baptist Church, in
The story is told of a man who lived in a small village. He passed along a story about another man for whom he did not care. The story, he thought to be true. When the story got around the village, it utterly destroyed the man. His family, his job and his integrity were all devastated. He finally had to leave town -- a ruined and defeated man. As you might have guessed, the fellow who passed the story along discovered that the rumor was false. He had helped to destroy an innocent man with his tongue.
He went to the village rabbi and said, "I have destroyed a man with my words." "Please Rabbi," he said, "I am sorry -- can I be forgiven this sin?"
The rabbi told the man to take a bag of feathers and place one in the front yard of every house in the village. Although the fellow thought this to be a strange request, he really wanted forgiveness, so he followed the instructions. At last he came back to the rabbi and said, "I have done all that you asked, may I now be forgiven?"
"Not yet, my son," the rabbi replied, "You must first retrace your steps and bring back to me every feather you placed in the village!"
"But, rabbi-- I could never do that, the wind has carried the feathers away!"
"Yes," the rabbi said, “It has.”
Words can hurt or heal – they can tear down or build up. Words are powerful.
I would like for you to try an experiment with me.
Repeat after me... "I love you."
Now repeat my words again... "I hate you."
The words can change the way you feel. They change your face, your spirit, your presence. Counselors tell us that if you can change the language of a person, you can actually change the person. If you can change the words that a person uses, you can change the feelings inside of that person. For example: if you have a bad habit of cursing, swearing and cussing; if you start to change those words, that will actually begin to change the way you feel inside.
Or, if you have a problem with being critical, complaining, being consistently negative about people; if you change the words that come out of your mouth, you will start to change your personality and the feelings inside of that personality.
We are entrusted with a great power here. God has given us this gift so we can praise God, so we can share the Good News, so we can tell others about the amazing love God has for us. We are given a gift that can create or destroy. We can build up or tear down with this gift. While our scripture acknowledges that everyone slips up in speaking, it presses the case that we should not shrug off such mistakes.
The slips of the tongue that seem so slight, can cause great consequences. Small things can have disproportionately great implications: a small bridle directs the large, strong horse; a small rudder steers a great ship; a small flame can start a vast forest fire. Words are powerful. We can draw people to the love of God with our speech or we can turn them off.
And James says very clearly- We should not rush in to teach others what we cannot practice ourselves. Which I take to mean, I had best shut-up.
Listen to the words of a popular hymn (426 vs. 1 & 3):
Lord speak to me that I may speak, in living echoes of Thy tones,
As Thou has sought, so let me seek,Thy erring children lost and lone.
O teach me Lord, that I may teach,the precious things Thou dost impart,
And wing my words that they may reach, the hidden depths of many a heart.
[Frances R. Havergall, 1872]
May God give us the grace to hear and the wisdom to speak.
Amen.