Last November, I, along with many of you watched in horror as my home state of Tennessee suffered its most destructive fire in over a century. The spark started in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and rapidly spread to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Officials determined that two teenagers started the fire that killed 14 and injured 150 people. Also, the flames damaged or destroyed 1700 homes and businesses. If it weren’t for the news footage, it would be hard to imagine how one flicker of a flame in the wrong hands could devastate the lives of thousands of people. It’s sobering to realize how much carnage just one or two people can inflict. But the images of the Tennessee wildfires bring a fresh perspective on the words of James, the brother of Jesus, as he compared the potential of our words to that of a wildfire.
“So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. 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.” (James 3:5-6, emphasis mine).
Do we realize our words have the potential to devastate people?
In the New Testament era, fires were greatly feared because there were few resources to battle them. Flames have the ability to spread rapidly, burn, maim, and destroy people. According to James, so do the words that roll off our tongues.
We’ve all heard the old saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say keep it to yourself.” Now the norm seems to be, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, go ahead and blurt it out on social media.” Over the last several months, verbal hostility has been rampant on social media. We seem to forget there are flesh and blood people on the other side of our computer screens. I’ve frequently seen people say things on social media they would never say to one another over a cup of coffee.
Sadly, I’ve watched Christians fall into the same trap. Recently, a prominent Bible teacher made a statement on Twitter that made some people angry. Many of the comments were staggering. Some said things such as:
- I am ashamed of you
- I am disappointed in you
- I’ve read all your books, but you just made me sick
- You’re an idiot
However, one woman responded in this way; “I disagree with your tweet, but I love the heart from which it came from.” Wow, what a difference. This woman asserted herself without being rude and simultaneously showed love and respect. She chose her words wisely. Whether we are talking to a family member over the dinner table or a stranger online, we need to choose our words carefully.
Why?
We will give account for them.
Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matt 12:34-37)
If we’ve trusted in Christ for our salvation, our hearts and words will provide evidence of that relationship. That doesn’t mean we won’t still struggle with our mouth. The book of James makes it clear that we all struggle with our speech (James 3:8). But as Christ followers, our aim should be to communicate with truth and kindness.
As the fires raged on in Tennessee, I’ve often wondered if the teenagers regretted lighting the match that caused the tragedy. Of course, the damage was done, and it was too late. And so it will be with the words that come out of our mouth. Once our words are spoken, we can’t take them back. Let’s choose wisely.
