Friday, May 26th, 2017

“My brothers and sisters, not many of you should be teachers. I say this because, as you know, we who teach will be judged more strictly than others. We all make many mistakes. A person who never said anything wrong would be perfect. Someone like that would be able to control their whole body, too. We put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us. With these bits we can control their whole body. It is the same with ships. A ship is very big, and it is pushed by strong winds. But a very small rudder controls that big ship. And the one who controls the rudder decides where the ship will go. It goes where he wants it to go. It is the same with out tongue. It is a small part of the body, but it can boast about doing great things.” – James 3: 1-5 ERV

Headlines over the last 18 or more months, with the Presidential primaries and elections and the transition into a new administration, have been filled with accusations. Accusations, whether founded or baseless, always have the same result: two sides forming and retreating to their respective corners. Consider a household, where a husband accuses his wife of being “too lazy” and not helping around the house. While this might have been uttered in a moment of frustration or anger, and may not be even how the husband truly feels, it is now hanging in the air between the man and wife, causing tension and driving a wedge between the couple. Differences of opinion are a fact of life, and actually a positive thing in any society! However, unfounded or destructive accusation has never led to a positive ending. As Christians, we are called to always remember to power of our tongue, and the positive, or negative, impact it can make in our lives, and those around us.