|
January 12, 1997, two Swiss men, Bertrand Piccard and Wim Verstraeten, began a journey to be the first to circle the earth in a balloon. Their aircraft, a high-tech masterpiece called the Breitling Orbiter, had solar panels and an air-tight capsule for pressurized flight at high altitudes that would enable flying the jet stream at two hundred miles an hour. The cost of the balloon craft: one-and-a-half million dollars.
At liftoff the cabin was sealed and pressurized. The pilots suddenly detected strong kerosene fumes. They e-mailed their control center, writing: "Kerosene's coming through each pipe on both inside tanks and we cannot tighten them anymore. It is a nightmare.... Answer quick."
The return instruction was to lower altitude, open the capsule, and hold on until reaching the coast of Algeria. The fumes were so strong, however, they had to dismantle over the Mediterranean.
The cause of the leak was a failed clamp, one like those on an automobile radiator hose. Price? A clamp costing one dollar and sixteen cents derailed the mission of a craft costing one-and-a-half million dollars.
* * *
33 A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. 34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. 35 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. 36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.
*Matthew 12.33-37, NLT
1My friends, we should not all try to become teachers. In fact, teachers will be judged more strictly than others. 2All of us do many wrong things. But if you can control your tongue, you are mature and able to control your whole body.
3By putting a bit into the mouth of a horse, we can turn the horse in different directions. 4It takes strong winds to move a large sailing ship, but the captain uses only a small rudder to make it go in any direction. 5Our tongues are small too, and yet they brag about big things.
It takes only a spark to start a forest fire! 6The tongue is like a spark. It is an evil power that dirties the rest of the body and sets a person's entire life on fire with flames that come from hell itself. 7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures can be tamed and have been tamed. 8But our tongues get out of control. They are restless and evil, and always spreading deadly poison.
9-10My dear friends, with our tongues we speak both praises and curses. We praise our Lord and Father, and we curse people who were created to be like God, and this isn't right. 11Can clean water and dirty water both flow from the same spring? 12Can a fig tree produce olives or a grapevine produce figs? Does fresh water come from a well full of salt water?
*James 3.1-12, CEV
* * *
The above scriptures speak of the power of a small body member, and mostly hidden to site. The tongue, however, has power well beyond its size. The destiny of persons and groups is greatly shaped by speech.
I have seen this, also, in churches. Regardless of how much I encourage persons to avoid criticism and blaming, in love for each other, I have found the foul deliciousness of misuse of speech to be a putrid happiness of persons who justify and entertain themselves by using their tongue like a spark in a dry forest: "They are restless and evil [harmful], and always spreading deadly poison."
Jesus makes clear that the use of the tongue is much more than a physiological matter. The tongue reveals the heart: "For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good [helpful, beneficial] person produces good [helpful, beneficial] things from the treasury of a good [helpful, beneficial] heart, and an evil [harmful, toxic] person produces evil [harmful, toxic] things from the treasury of an evil [harmful, toxic] heart."
Beyond what the tongue does to others, what we say affects ourselves deeply. What we say shapes our attitudes and feelings. Have you ever been talking critically and felt worse afterward, not better? Well, you did think you would feel better, but you were more upset, not less upset.
If we find ourselves misusing our speech to harm others, for example, by gossip, criticism, blame, or maliciousness, then, we need time to examine our heart?
Yes, there is a need for us to have someone to speak to in confidence about feelings. Yet, to speak of another person in a way that defames his or her reputation or to seek to undermine the person stealthily is, to put it frankly, evil. To do so says more about the person misusing the tongue than the other person.
And, recall, the person who speaks harmfully to you about someone else is the person who will be likely to do the same about you. Why? Again, his or her use of the tongue is essentially not about anyone but himself or herself?
I am taking a stronger stance on whom I get close to as friend or as a professional. I am finding some persons are simply not content with themselves, and their speech is critical and harmful. Some persons are stirrers: that is, they get self-entertained by "stirring things up." Rather than saying, "What am I to do to make things better?," they point fingers, accusing, "There is the fault!"
Yes, we have a tongue, and ears, too. We can choose with the ears to decide what tongues to pay attention to and the ones not to give attention to. God did not give you a heart to be a trashcan for someone else to fill with his or her frustration.
Once I was reading a letter of complaint. Oddly, about three-quarters through, Something told me to stop. I sensed it was the Spirit. The letter was accusatory. While not against me, I still sensed I was to discontinue reading. I discontinued the reading, obeying the inner Voice.
We need to extend wise use of the "tongue" to writing. I have seen much good and evil "spoken" by e-mail. In one church I served, disgruntled members incessantly used e-mail to blame and defame me, sending such inflammatory writings to both persons in and outside the congregation. Therefore, not only were they hurting me, they were hurting the entire witness of the congregation. Finally, I began refusing to read them, and referred them to my personnel chair for saving for use later, if needed. I would let the sender know I had not read it, letting him or her know I would no longer consume such toxin. Now, looking back, I know those persons where heralding the state of their hearts, like a big billboard beside a highway.
Indeed, say what you say, and you show your character. Jesus made that clear: "The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you." He did not say, "What you say about someone else will acquit or condemn that person."
Lastly, I find that writing my OneLife writings helps me during times of frustration. Often, I write a writing at night. Yet, frequently during difficult times, I write in the morning. The use of my "tongue" to encourage others helps me to face the day more positively. Such is the power of speech to uplift.
* * *
1) How does the opening story speak to our theme for today?
2) How might you use speech or writing this day to help others and yourself?
3) Do you tend to listen well or speak too much?
4) Did your family upbringing encourage helpful speech or harmful speech?
5) Examine your speech habits. What does it say about you? Afterward, request someone close to you to tell you what they see your speech habits say about you? If you need, choose to altar these habits, starting today.
6) Examine your hearing and reading habits? Do they need revising?
7) Have you seen a group greatly encouraged or immensely harmed by the use of speech by one or a few persons? Explain.
* * *
1) Write out a prayer of daily dedication of body members to spread love, joy, and peace; include the tongue.
2) Choose ten key words or phrases (I love you, I appreciate you, May I help, Wonderful!, ...) that you can use to bless other persons.
3) If you use e-mail, decide to write one positive, encouraging note to at least one person per day over the next week. Or do this by text message or phone, or an e-mail card.
4) Have one person you can speak with to share frustration. Make sure this person will not share your words with anyone else.
* * *
*For submission of prayer requests, write to Brian at barukhattah@embarqmail.com .
*Story of the Breitling Orbiter, Craig Brian Larson. Ed. Choice Contemporary Stories and Illustrations. Cited as originally in the National Geographic.
*Charitable contributions would be appreciated to assist Brian in the continuance of his work of 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 through the Cokesbury on-line store, at www.cokesbury.com .
*Brian K. Wilcox lives in Punta Gorda, FL, and Clearwater, FL, with his wife, step-son, and two beloved dogs. Brian has an independent writing, workshop, and retreat ministry focused on Christians living as spiritual disciples of Jesus Christ in everyday life. He serves the Christ Community United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL. Brian is vowed at Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in South Georgia. He lives a vowed, contemplative life and inspires others to experience a more intimate relationship with God-in-Christ. Brian advocates for a spiritually-focused, experiential Christianity and renewal of the focus of the Church on addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons.
|
