Reflections

 5So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.  See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!  ⁶And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.  7For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race.  ⁸But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.  ⁹With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; ¹⁰from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.  James 3:5-10

Sometimes the wisest thing we can do is keep our mouth shut, because the tongue is very dangerous.  James tells us in the above scriptures that no man can tame the tongue.  We should never assume we can control our own tongues.  How many times have you said something without really thinking and got in trouble?  Or spoke to soon?  Or, as the old saying goes, “put your foot in your mouth.”  We will speak kindly to a person’s face but when they turn their backs we will talk about them and curse them.

The internet has given a voice to many people who normally would not be heard.  You don’t even need your own website to voice your opinion.  Many places allow you to leave comments about a subject matter.  If you read the comments on any given article you will read just how mean and vicious people can be.  Honestly, I am shocked by many of the things I read from others but it just shows how true the above scriptures are in regards to the tongue.

Since the tongue can’t be tamed we have to be very careful in our speech.  It is very easy to say things without thinking and hurt others in the process.  Some of the most hurtful things we can do to a person involves our tongue.  Remember the wise saying “If you do not have something nice to say, don’t say anything.”