Bible study: The tongue speaks of good and evil
BY SUANNE WARE-DIAZ
(Editor?s note: Pages 14 and 15 are designed to be a resource for local churches to study the issue of Native American Mascots. We invite you to study the issue by using the Bible as your foundation. Below is a Bible study resource you are free to duplicate and use in your own local church setting.)
What?s in a Name?
'With (the tongue) we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.'
? James 3:9-10, NRSV
James warns us that our tongues do double duty; they can bless and they can curse. With the same tongue we profess God?s love and then utter curses against our brothers and sisters.
The tongue isn?t a vital organ; it isn?t big and it isn?t very noticeable. Why does James make a fuss over something as small and insignificant as the tongue? Aren?t our feet and our hands capable of doing greater good and bad than our tongues?
When I would be on the brink of losing my temper, my mother would shake her finger at me and say, 'Think before you speak.' Then she?d look me straight in the eye and caution me, 'Once you?ve said something, you can never, ever take those words back.'
Regretfully, there have been times when her advice is recalled a millisecond after hasty, hurtful words have already escaped my lips. Like most people, I?m not violent, but with my tongue I?ve intentionally and unintentionally inflicted pain on others. Mom was right: Once those words have been said, the harm has already been done and the words cannot be retrieved. I?ve learned that delivering harsh words is easy; words of repentance, forgiveness and healing require effort.
Name calling and mimicry can be especially hurtful. Children often respond to taunts with this old adage, 'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.'
That saying is untrue. Names and the labels associated with them do hurt.
Physical wounds can be treated and bandaged and will eventually heal, but words can cause wounds that frequently go untreated and can create deep, emotional scars lasting a lifetime.
When we label other people with demeaning names, we no longer see them as individuals, but as caricatures, something less than human.
James reminds us that what we say matters; we have the power to choose our words. The challenge is really a spiritual one. How do we reflect the transforming love of Jesus Christ in all that we do or say?
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