Smashmouth – September 6

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 38; PM Psalm 119:25-48; 1 Kings 9:24-10:13; James 3:1-12; Mark 15:1-11

For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle.  James 3:2

Do you ever have those moments when you have the option to share a message one way, and instead, you impart words with a forceful tone and judgmental language? Well, I do, too. I just did, in fact. Things were going relatively smoothly this morning and then, blam! One thing led to another, and my daughter and I were at a standoff over the silliest of details: she did not eat the watermelon or carrots packed in her lunch yesterday.

Rather than be curious of the reason, or just move on without engaging in such a battle before breakfast, I chose to do what today’s excerpt from the Letter of James observes about the special power wielded by our mouths: “The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire.” (3:5-6a) Yes. I reluctantly admit that my tongue was an incendiary source to the bonds of relationship this morning.

The letter goes on: ”The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” (6b-8) Strong language? Yes. Clear message? Yes. Do the analogies of the power of human mouths in comparison to others of God’s creation ring true? For me today, sadly yes, again.

I promise I did not do this on purpose. My words came from a position of care and concern. This demonstrates (unfortunately) how the way we speak to one another can be beautiful and uplifting, and then hurtful and stormy. Our epistle says this in verse 10: “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.” Now, today I did not curse at my daughter. I did leave the room sullied by pushiness and my large personality, leaving no room for recourse from anyone else. And she left the house angry and sad and hurt.

So, while I go figure out where God is calling me to clean up the emotional spillage on aisle 7 of my household, let us all ponder the folly of our human tongues…we are wonderfully and beautifully made, yet it takes the centering of the Holy Spirit to interact lovingly with one another through a day. Pray for me and I will pray for you…in Christian community, we will keep seeing those reminders of grace, redemption, and reconciliation.

Humbly,

Katherine+

Questions for Self-Reflection and Daily Challenge:

Sit with James 3:1-12 this morning. Re-read it. Where do you feel discomfort? Where do you feel called by God to grow? Journal for 10 minutes. Pray to God about what healing you seek from the pain of harsh words. Pray for others in your life. Share with a friend some takeaways from this exercise.