Why is it So Hard?
If you have been reading my blog regularly, you know I am memorizing James and I am praying on my knees for at least 15 minutes a week. Are you joining me? Let me know by leaving a comment and telling me about where you are in James or what God has been doing in your prayer time.
Anyway, I have made it to James 3 and here came this verse:
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. James 3:2
First I am struck with we all stumble…Not only do we stumble, but we stumble in many ways. OUCH! That is pretty harsh. I don’t like to admit that I stumble at all and now James is telling me that we all stumble in many ways. Then he mentions our words. Yes our words…If we are never at fault in what we say, we are perfect. Seems simple right?
So why is it so hard? Why can’t we never be at fault in what we say? Why do words matter so much that if we could keep our tongue in check we would be perfect?
Words…I want to use life-giving words. I want to pass on wise words, words of grace, words of truth. But too often my words are harsh, they tear down, they convey irritation.
Words are that important. Jesus confirms this when He says, “For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45b)
We speak what is in our hearts. If our hearts are in check our words will be in check…So our words are a good indicator of the condition of our hearts. Are we speaking in love and with patience or are we irritated and grumpy? God is more interested in our hearts than our actions. We can fake a lot of things, but our words often give away where our hearts are…
Let’s do some heart checks. We need to think about what we have said, ask others if what we say is harsh or said in love. We need to measure our words carefully. They are important.
What do you think? Are words really something that can “never hurt me” unlike sticks and stones? Is it possible that words are important and that they show the condition of our hearts? Do you have a story about that? I can’t wait to hear it!
Here is another post I did on the Word…Click here to read it.
4 Comments
Leave a Comment
“Nice words are free, so choose words that please another’s ears.” ~Vietnamese proverb
Words are important because they connect us to others. We can lift others or tear them down, boost them up or bury them. The choice is ours.
Will we praise or curse God? I’d like to think that I praise God more than I curse him, and that’s likely explicitly true. But implicitly, my words do not always reflect the condition of my heart. I often edit myself, but that just means that God still knows the original intention of those words.
It is through the immutable Word of God that we can be confident in our salvation, and for that reason alone words hold great importance in our lives.
Thanks Daniel. Great thoughts.
Great post Angela! My harsh tongue is something that has been/is a struggle for me and seems to be where I stumble the most. While I have seen improvement over the years, unfortunately, it is my family that I seem to do the most harm. I think sometimes if I just don’t say it (whatever it is) I will explode…However, I know it boils down to this: Am I going to give into my flesh and let it control me, or am I going to live in the Spirit. One of my favorite verses in James is 1:26 – it is so convicting! “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.” Trying to keeping a tight rein of control! I need to memorize James as well! 🙂
Christy isn’t that too true? Our tongues are so important. I have been humbled by the tight reign verse too. Praying I keep my tongue reigned so that I am not deceiving myself. Thanks for sharing!