Tongue Tied

The tongue is like a spark. It is an evil power that dirties the rest of the body and sets a person's entire life on fire with flames that come from hell itself.

– James 3:6

Did the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 start — as legend has it — when Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern? Or did it begin when a one-legged man slipped on Mrs. O’Leary’s wet barn floor and dropped his lit pipe into some hay or wood shavings?

The answer doesn’t matter except to history buffs and insurance adjusters. But whatever the fire’s cause, its aftermath was horrific. Citizens of The Windy City were forced to deal with nearly $200 million in property damage, 300 people dead, and another 100,000 homeless. And all it took was a single spark.

Centuries earlier. James — the half-brother of Jesus — taught a similar, fiery lesson through the New Testament book he wrote to some of the earliest Christ-followers. But instead of the destruction that comes from a tiny spark, James described the devastating power of the human tongue. It’s one of the smallest parts of the body. But the tongue still has the power to both uplift and destroy as well as bless and curse.

How many times have we uttered something inappropriate (or maybe downright mean-spirited) that seemed to come out of nowhere? Saying the wrong thing at the wrong moment to the wrong person has cost people their careers, marriages, and reputations. And whether it’s through gossip, lying, sarcasm, cursing, or taking God’s name in vain, we don’t lack for the words we wish we could take back.

During World War II, the U.S. Government produced posters bearing the headline, Loose Lips Sink Ships. The message was that spies could pick up careless — although seemingly innocent — gossip about Allied troop movements, ship departures, and other secret information. And when that intelligence reached the enemy’s ears, the result was often carnage, death, and destruction. Likewise, Christ-followers today must watch their tongues to avoid causing sunk relationships and reputations. Our words should instead lift up rather than put down. The Apostle Paul put it this way through Ephesians 4:29: 

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”