Words!

A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.”
‭‭James‬ ‭3:3-5‬ ‭MSG‬‬
http://bible.com/97/jas.3.3-5.msg

I always thought the popular kids rhyme, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never harm me!” was just completely wrong. I have seen more damage to families, friends, or coworkers by mere words. Words can stir up much controversy and inject turmoil everywhere. It is not just the spoken word. Right now the written word, social media, is the go to source for tearing down people. We need to control our tongue, but we also need to control the pen.

Our reputation comes as much from the words of our mouth as the actions we perform. Our words need to match our actions. Our voices on social media must also match the words of our mouth. I just wish our politicians and our news media would realize this. The chaos of this world can be directly attributed to the lack of a controlled tongue. We have to stop the hateful words. We have to stop the chaos on social media. We have to spend more time sharing words of kindness and love. Our tongue is our witness to the power of the cross and if we don't show love to others, even our enemies, how can we expect them to turn to our savior. 

Dear Lord, Help me control my tongue. Help the words I speak and write match your love, grace and mercy. I praise you for YOUR love. I know I don't deserve it and yet, you continue to bless me beyond all I can imagine. Thank You Lord. Be with me this day as I share those blessings with the people I see. Amen!