“Consider what
a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a
world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the
whole course of one’s life on fire, and is
itself set on fire by hell.”
(James 3:5b-6)
Many regions of the US are all too
familiar with forest fires. They start
with a single spark, perhaps from a lightning strike, perhaps from a careless
camper and the chaos begins. Left unchecked a fire can destroy whole lives,
either in a physical sense or in a material sense or both.
So it is with the careless, at times
insensitive comments we make. We speak
our mind freely regardless of the fall out.
The results can resemble that of a scattergun** being sprayed across a
room. You never know who will be hurt
but you can be sure someone will be. Why
do we let fly words that sting and cut.
Cuts heal but always leave a scar.
What type of emotional or psychological scars have we left on the hearts
and minds of some folks without caring?
Our right to free speech isn’t in peril if we hold our tongue. We are to speak love, kindness, peace,
encouragement, mercy, grace and hope to those around us, not sarcastic barbs in
an effort to vent our spleen of the angst we have absorbed. Let it go and allow God to sooth your
heartaches and emotional wounds, sometimes from years before. God loves you and wishes you to speak out of
the abundance of mercy and forgiveness He has placed within you. Until next time, walk with the King and be a
blessing!
*
Sarcastic, scornful or
cynical.
** Another
name for a type of shotgun.
