What We Say About Others
"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness." (James 3:9 NIV)
Several years ago, I was involved in prison ministry. As part of the training for being able to minister in the prison, I witnessed a lecture about improvised weapons prisoners make, usually called "shivs" or "shanks" in prison lingo. And it was surprising how inventive some of these weapons can be. A plastic spoon, a pen, a toothbrush, or even soap, can be sharpened to be turned into a dagger for stabbing. Scrap metal can be gathered and wrapped in a sock or bandanna to make into a bludgeoning weapon. In one instance, a prisoner improvised a crossbow out of newspaper and rubber bands, hardening the newspaper to create a sharp arrowhead. Presently, there are even videos on YouTube demonstrating how Jolly Roger candies can be made into weapons. It is actually quite shocking how all these seemingly innocent and innocuous items can be turned, quite easily, into weapons designed to hurt and kill.
Yet there is something we all carry around that is seemingly innocent and innocuous, which we often take for granted, but which can easily be turned into a weapon designed to hurt and kill: our tongues. As James points out, our tongues can be used for both praise and cursing. Everything we have, just like items in prison, can be used either to help or to harm. Our hands and feet can be used either for helping or beating. Our minds can be used either for thinking well of others and devising ways of helping them, or thinking ill of them and seeking to destroy them. How much more important are our tongues! What we say can have a longer impact than anything else. We can also both uplift and destroy people's morale, self-esteem, as well as good names and reputations with our tongues. Unfortunately, we have frequently done far more of the latter than the former: we have gossiped and harmed or even destroyed the reputations of others by our words. We have put the worst construction on others' motivations and actions by what we have said. We have even used the gift of faith God has given us to try to mock, harm, or destroy others. For too long, we have made our beliefs into weapons, using them to attack others, rather than as a motivation to show compassion and help others. In doing so, as was said yesterday, we set up a false God, a false image of God: a God who wants us to use what He has given us to attack, mock, and destroy, rather than reach out, help, and build up. In our daily conversations and interactions with others, we ought to be aware of what we think and say of others, and how we express our thoughts about others.
This also applies to what we share on social media: whether it is something about someone we know personally, or a public figure. We are, first of all, to verify that the source we are sharing any information about an individual or group from is a valid one that is publishing the truth, rather than simply a rumor. Rather than mocking public figures, we are either to defend them, or reserve our opinions to ourselves. Even in how we treat those we know personally, we are either to defend them, speak well of them, put the best construction on their actions - or keep our opinions to ourselves. We are also even to speak well of those with whom we are at variance in our religious, moral, social, or political beliefs. Especially in the case of those who hold religious views varying from ours, we are to seek to understand and learn rather than criticize and mock. We are also to consider how what we share, and what we say, reflects on us, and the sort of reputation we create about ourselves by what we share or how we respond to others. This is especially important to consider as we remember that we are Christians, followers of Jesus, and that our reputation as Christians is dependent on how we treat and respond to others. Therefore, let us continually be loving, kind, uplifting, and encouraging, in our thoughts and words, and, in doing so, reflect God, who is loving, kind, uplifting, and encouraging.
Dear God, help me to lift and build others up with my tongue, speak well of them, defend them, and put the best construction on others' actions. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness." (James 3:9 NIV)
Several years ago, I was involved in prison ministry. As part of the training for being able to minister in the prison, I witnessed a lecture about improvised weapons prisoners make, usually called "shivs" or "shanks" in prison lingo. And it was surprising how inventive some of these weapons can be. A plastic spoon, a pen, a toothbrush, or even soap, can be sharpened to be turned into a dagger for stabbing. Scrap metal can be gathered and wrapped in a sock or bandanna to make into a bludgeoning weapon. In one instance, a prisoner improvised a crossbow out of newspaper and rubber bands, hardening the newspaper to create a sharp arrowhead. Presently, there are even videos on YouTube demonstrating how Jolly Roger candies can be made into weapons. It is actually quite shocking how all these seemingly innocent and innocuous items can be turned, quite easily, into weapons designed to hurt and kill.
Yet there is something we all carry around that is seemingly innocent and innocuous, which we often take for granted, but which can easily be turned into a weapon designed to hurt and kill: our tongues. As James points out, our tongues can be used for both praise and cursing. Everything we have, just like items in prison, can be used either to help or to harm. Our hands and feet can be used either for helping or beating. Our minds can be used either for thinking well of others and devising ways of helping them, or thinking ill of them and seeking to destroy them. How much more important are our tongues! What we say can have a longer impact than anything else. We can also both uplift and destroy people's morale, self-esteem, as well as good names and reputations with our tongues. Unfortunately, we have frequently done far more of the latter than the former: we have gossiped and harmed or even destroyed the reputations of others by our words. We have put the worst construction on others' motivations and actions by what we have said. We have even used the gift of faith God has given us to try to mock, harm, or destroy others. For too long, we have made our beliefs into weapons, using them to attack others, rather than as a motivation to show compassion and help others. In doing so, as was said yesterday, we set up a false God, a false image of God: a God who wants us to use what He has given us to attack, mock, and destroy, rather than reach out, help, and build up. In our daily conversations and interactions with others, we ought to be aware of what we think and say of others, and how we express our thoughts about others.
This also applies to what we share on social media: whether it is something about someone we know personally, or a public figure. We are, first of all, to verify that the source we are sharing any information about an individual or group from is a valid one that is publishing the truth, rather than simply a rumor. Rather than mocking public figures, we are either to defend them, or reserve our opinions to ourselves. Even in how we treat those we know personally, we are either to defend them, speak well of them, put the best construction on their actions - or keep our opinions to ourselves. We are also even to speak well of those with whom we are at variance in our religious, moral, social, or political beliefs. Especially in the case of those who hold religious views varying from ours, we are to seek to understand and learn rather than criticize and mock. We are also to consider how what we share, and what we say, reflects on us, and the sort of reputation we create about ourselves by what we share or how we respond to others. This is especially important to consider as we remember that we are Christians, followers of Jesus, and that our reputation as Christians is dependent on how we treat and respond to others. Therefore, let us continually be loving, kind, uplifting, and encouraging, in our thoughts and words, and, in doing so, reflect God, who is loving, kind, uplifting, and encouraging.
Dear God, help me to lift and build others up with my tongue, speak well of them, defend them, and put the best construction on others' actions. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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