Every weekday morning I park my car in the distant unpaved
lot of my local light rail station and make the ¼ mile walk to board the train
downtown. I like these morning walks. There is no better way to start the day
than to look out under the clear blue sky at the Rocky Mountains that seem
close enough to touch. But a couple days ago the view was less than
picturesque. As I opened my car door, my nose was flooded with the smell of
burning wood; my eyes itched as the smoke assaulted them. That beautiful, clear
blue sky had turned into a hazy brown disaster from the multiple fires burning
just to the south. Colorado is extremely dry and afternoon storms have brought
lightning that ignites the beetle killed pine forests that cover large portions
of the state. The fire causing the effects I experienced that day has since
been contained but other fires continue to burn. NBC news is reporting today
that the West Fork Fire, which is already 117 square miles, will likely burn
for months until the weather becomes more favorable.
When I got on the train, I got out my Bible to read a bit on
the way to work. I was reminded of James 3, which talks about the power of our
speech and nature of our tongues. In this chapter, James writes, “how great a
forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of
unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body,
setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.” I was
really struck by the power of this image after experiencing the effects of
physical fire just moments before. What an impact my words can have! I work in
a back-office support position and it is so easy to say bad things about my
customers, because they are on the phone. So often in my cubicle jungle, we
find ourselves discussing how ridiculous a customer is because of, well, any
number of things. James really made me think about how detrimental this can be.
Perhaps my negative tone and words push my coworker even deeper into an already
bad day. Maybe what I say will inadvertently get back to the target of my words
and they will be embarrassed or offended. I could also be creating a negative
image of myself to my superiors by demonstrating a poor attitude. Regardless of
the actual consequences, this is unacceptable for me to be participating in.
Words I say have the power to destroy. Like the fire, their effects are far
reaching, polluting and destroying people beyond what I can see.
I use the work example because it is really where I am most
guilty, but uncontrolled or thoughtless speech can easily creep into our
conversations with family and friends-and dare I say in our churches? James
reminds us that this is not God’s plan as he continues with “From the same
mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”
As you engage people this week, I challenge you to really think before you
speak. Is what you are about to say glorifying to God? Yes, there are times to
be direct and admonishing, but this can still be done in love. Ask God to show
you ways to use your speech positively and do your best to keep silent when the
flammable words are queued up in your mouth. I have been convicted by this
passage to pay close attention to what I’m saying and why I’m saying it and I
encourage you to keep this focus, too. Let’s have the people around us see and
hear God’s love by what we say and even by what we don’t say.
Remember, in the
words of Smokey the Bear, “only YOU can prevent wildfires!”
By C Sampson
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