Taming the Tongue

My faith community is talking about Wisdom on Sunday nights at Crash in a series called "Wisdom 2.0". My contribution to this series is a weekly "Crash Kids Moment" in which I address the grade school children and help connect them with the content for the evening. Yesterday and today I read James 3 to prepare myself for Sunday.

Every time I read it James 3:1-2a really struck me with force. “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways.”

I realized that the context of taming the tongue was in regards to a presumption to being a teacher. From this chapter I come to the conclusion that James seems to be addressing a situation in which people are lecturing others about sinful behavior. James then brings us all to humility and cautions us to use our words wisely, in righteousness – cultivating healthy relationships with God and with each other.

I have wrestled with this chapter for these past two days knowingly preoccupied about a situation with a family I was reconnected with earlier this week. So before I left for my meeting with them this morning I prayed James 3:17, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

Pure – not my agenda, but God’s desire for them

Peace-loving – gentle, self-controlled

Considerate – aware of my bias and respecting them as people

Submissive – yielding to God

Full of mercy and good fruit – the fruit of the Spirit, aware of God’s goodness that we all don’t get what we deserve, me included.

Impartial – this one took a while to get to but as I was driving to their house I realized that I need to treat them with integrity, as I would anyone else.

Sincere – not play-acting, not rescuing, but loving.

When James 3:1 first struck me I thought it was for me to point it out to Scott Savage for his message. Now I realize it was to reposition my heart to bring God’s love to this family. I wanted to go and, in a sense, "teach" them about smart living and rescue them from their situation proving to them that God saves. Instead, I listened. I respected them, extending help only in what they asked me to help instead of meddling and acting superior.

As I walked away this morning I felt wisdom in that conversation. Not at all what I was prepared for when I tried to go over to talk with them yesterday and received no answer. God is good. And patient.