If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 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. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

James 3:3-12 (ESV)

I was reading some live journals tonight and came across one written by a student I know. He was spilling out his hurt, telling of how worthless and unloved he feels because of words that his father had spoken to him.

This thought came to my mind. Words are like evil spirits. They haunt forever.

Lord Jesus, may we all learn not to speak idle words that rip others to pieces. May we learn to respect the tongue, this restless evil full of deadly poison. May we be overcome by the holy fear of Your wrath when we curse those made in Your image!

And when we speak, may our words be used to heal a broken world that desperately needs the kindness of the Lord to shine through us.