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On June 6, 1981, Doug Whitt and his bride, Sylvia, were escorted to their hotel's fancy bridal suite in the wee hours of the morning. In the suite they saw a sofa, chairs, and table, but where was the bed?
Then they discovered the sofa was a hide-a-bed, with a lumpy mattress and sagging springs. They spent a fitful night and woke up in the morning with sore backs. The new husband went to the hotel desk and gave the management a tongue lashing.
"Did you open the door in the room?" asked the clerk.
Doug went back to the room. He opened the door they had thought was a closet. There, complete with fruit baskets and chocolates, was a beautiful bedroom!
* * *
Not everything is as it appears. Have you ever discovered this after judging a person's intent or behavior. Then, only later you found out that you were totally off the mark, but had already put your foot in your mouth, saying something you wish you could take back.
A Wisdom writer gives a sagacious saying about the blessing or curse one's own tongue can be to the person himself or herself:
Those who are careful about what they say protect their lives, but whoever speaks without thinking will be ruined.
*Proverbs 13.3 (NCV)
Such is the power of the tongue for bringing harm to oneself, the Proverbs warns:
The tongue can bring death or life;
those who love to talk will reap the consequences.
*Proverbs 18.21 (NLT)
Jesus links our character with our tongues, for he says:
For by your words you will be acquitted,
and by your words you will be condemned.
*Matthew 12.37 (HCSB)
James, the wisdom book of the New Testament, treats speech at length. The writer compares the tongue to fatal poison:
But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
*James 3.8 (KJV)
Many years ago, while serving a small church in Mississippi, I left on a Sunday evening after Worship to return to seminary. I got a phone call the following Friday evening, after I got back to the parsonage. The deacons had called a meeting with me the following morning.
I discovered a man who opposed my being pastor had taken something I had preached out of context, and used it against me. He interpreted it in such a manner to members of the congregation that the church fired me in my absence, charging me with heresy. I explained what I had meant, and how it agreed with the teaching of the church. I reminded them I had already preached about the same matter, with no problems, in that same church.
I preached the next day. Afterward, everyone came to the front of the sanctuary, after the message, to apologize for what they had done to my wife and me. Everyone except the one man. And everyone was in tears, except the one man. He, with his tongue, had accomplished his goal of getting me out of the church and community.
I have never forgotten the sad sight of my "opponent's" elderly brother. This aged man was in tears, like a hurt child, saying, "I helped run off a preacher years ago, and I had vowed I would never participate in such again." Yet, he had, and by the subtle tongue of his younger sibling.
See, one tongue hurt my wife and me deeply, and brought a spiritual injury to the entire church. That tongue was full of deadly poison, and that one man showed no evidence of sorrow for the poison he had inundated that whole faith community in, persons he claimed to love in Christ.
Yet, often we assume things that we want to assume, or we assume things we do not want to but assume on insufficient evidence. Each day we might do well to have a short prayer about our tongue, asking for grace that our tongue will be a blessing and giver of life that day, both for other persons and ourselves. We can call this: Consecration of the Tongue.
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*The opening story is by Cynthia Thomas. "Leadership." Winter 1994; found at www.holwicks.com ; typist Doris Schrum, secretary, Ledgewood Baptist Church, NJ.
*Charitable contributions would be appreciated to assist Brian in continuing his ministry. For contributions, contact Brian at barukhattah@embarqmail.com .
*Brian's book of spiritual love poetry, An Ache for Union: Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major booksellers or the Cokesbury on-line store, cokesbury.com .
*Brian K. Wilcox, a United Methodist Pastor, lives in Southwest Florida. He is a vowed member of Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in South Georgia. He lives a contemplative life and seeks to inspire others to enjoy a more intimate relationship with Christ. Brian advocates for a spiritually-focused, experiential Christianity and renewal of the Church through addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons.
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