Taming the Tongue
“…no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” – James 3:8
In 2007, then-Detroit Lions quarterback Jon Kitna proclaimed to the media that his team would win more than 10 games that season. They won only seven. In 2012, Boston Celtic basketball player Jason Terry got a tattoo of the Celtic mascot spinning the championship trophy on his finger and said they would win a championship. They lost in the first round of the playoffs. After going down two games to one versus the Orlando Magic in the 2009 National Basketball Association playoffs, Cleveland Cavaliers player Mo Williams guaranteed they would win the round. They lost in six games.
It doesn’t matter if they come from your coach, an official, your parents, or your spouse; words can damage people, situations and relationships. James 3 warns us that the tongue can praise God as well as curse those made in His image and refers to it as a “world of unrighteousness.” (James 3:6) In verse 4, we are reminded that the power of words is like a large ship that is guided by a small rudder.
Matthew 15:18 says, “…what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person.” Our words are fed from what is in our hearts. Whether in competition or our homes, we can make situations better or worse, hurt others, and darken our relationships with just our words.
If our hearts feed our words, let’s aim to fill our hearts with good and godly things. Then, we can lift up others and glorify God in the process.
- Have you ever said something to a friend or teammate that you regret? What happened?
- Have you ever been hurt by something said about you? What happened?
- If we cannot completely tame the tongue, how can we control what we say?
“Father, sometimes my words do not help others or glorify You. Please forgive those moments. Help me to lift others to You with my words and actions. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
