SPEAK LIGHT.
WORDS ARE LIGHT AND DARK, LIFE AND DEATH.
Everyone has something to say right now, and the lion’s share of it darkens the house of the world. James talks about how hard it is to tame our tongues, that is, to condition ourselves to speak in a way that honors God and others. We have all said things and had things said to us, both positive and negative things that made us realize that words are about life and death. Words are so powerful. Let’s just start off by thinking together about how powerful words are. Because words. Words are about light and dark. Words either put the world back together or tear it apart. Words either shine in the lives of the people we speak them to, or they make the world darker. So it is no surprise to see Jesus’ brother James writing about the power of words to the churches he cared for so long ago. He wanted them to know that to be a follower of Jesus we have to get control of what we say:
James 2:2-6
2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
The tongue is such a small piece of you... but the words it produces are so very powerful. They have the strength of a stallion, the bulk of a ship, and they can scorch a forest. James wants the early followers of Jesus to know, that words are so powerful. So he gave these three images about how small the tongue is and yet how large and giant its consequences can be. Words are powerful. Words are about light and dark. And now he is going to expand on his first idea- that while it has great strength it is almost impossible to control:
James 3:7-12
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
So James says it makes no sense for a person to both praise God and tear down others with the same God-given mouth. When both blessings and curses come out of our mouth it undercuts grace and love.
Ben Sirach said it like this:
Sirach 28.12
If you blow on a spark it will glow.
If you spit on it the spark will be put out.
yet both come out of the same mouth.
WORDS THAT DARKEN THE WORLD.
So here are a few areas where we can work on using words that give life. Taming your tongue is a lifelong struggle, but it matters now more than ever. Our world needs a vaccination of hope, kindness, measured wisdom, and belonging. You can give these things through your words. On the other hand, some of the biggest areas a lot of us need to work on are sarcasm, put-down, clean speech, and gossip.
Sarcasm.
The longer I live the less I want to be sarcastic with people and the more I want to give them straight answers. I think an honest, sincere reply is worth a thousand snarky statements. And sincerity builds trust while sarcasm undermines it. Epictetus says “our words should be simple and true.”
Put-Downs.
The unwritten code that friends have is that we can put each other down and it won’t “hurt our feelings.” The problem is it doesn’t work. We do get hurt, and we do hurt others. What if in your group of friends, you became the kind of person who only spoke to build up other people? Paul challenged the church in Ephesus to only speak light to one another and to put away all the other speech and the dark places inside that those kinds of words come from. He wrote:
Ephesians 4.29-31
Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
Clean Speech.
I think this is hard for most of us— especially growing up. We end up speaking at the lowest common denominator because it is common... think on that. Seriously, it is easier to fit in when we have foul speech, because that is what we see on tv, in movies, our friends cuss all the time...etc... But one of the first things I noticed about the Christians who helped me grow, is that when everyone else would drop f-bombs all the time, they chose to be more articulate, and clean in what they said. They were eloquent. They also had the calm ability to wait before speaking, which prevented swearing when they were mad. Because I think we all know there is a difference between swearing in cases where its kind of funny, as opposed to cursing in anger or about others.
Gossip.
When we talk about people who are not even present, it makes our core group wonder if we talk about them too, it attacks someone who is not even there to defend themselves, and worst of all, it undermines the gospel of giving grace to those who may not deserve it. Gossip condemns and judges people unfairly— it is holding court when the person in trial is not present. And gossip often assumes the worst intentions and traits of the person we are speaking about. But a heart operating in obedience to Master Jesus asks better questions: Why is she acting that way? And what might he be going through?
THE JESUS WAY AND WORDS.
I believe Jesus not only spoke the truth, but he did it graciously. He spoke in ways that lifted others up. The more I follow Master Jesus, the more I just want to speak life into other people, and honor Him with what I choose to say. Jesus taught that what comes out of our mouths is simply the overflow of our heart. If you are constantly sarcastic, your heart has some deep cynicism. If you are constantly gossiping then you have hate and competition in your heart and you need to take an honest look. It could be that if some of us have a problem with taming our tongue, that we really have a problem with having a hard heart towards God. The gospel is the belief that we have great hope and example in Jesus, and that he died for the sins of the world. He sacrificed himself for everything we are angry and bitter about, and belief in Jesus brings the holy spirit into our lives— that holy spirit reminds us how we ought to understand God and others. When the gospel changes our hearts, we start to say things that bring light to a dark world and inspire faith, hope, and love. Jesus said that:
Luke 6.43-45
For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor does abad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, not are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the treasure of his heart produces good, and the wicked person out of his wicked treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
REDEMPTION IS A GIFT OF SECOND CHANCE.
Redemption is a second chance to live as full humans under a good God. The gospel allows us to speak giving others 2nd chances- to assume the best of others and understand that they are a work in progress too. A great way to think of this is an expectation gap. Whenever there is a gap between what you expect of others and what they do in reality… you get to decide what to put in that gap. You can fill that gap with suspicion, distrust, and words that question your spouse, or your friend, or your enemy… of you can fill that gap by assuming the best and giving second chances. Followers of Jesus worship a master who made the best out of our worst. He loved and served us in the greatest way when he could have powered up. You can believe all sorts of things things about Jesus, but when you are ready to follow the Master… you have to learn to place love in the gaps, when others inevitably fall short of our expectations.
You also never know what someone else is going through. Plato said we should always be kind to everyone we meet…because everyone is fighting as hard battle. Friends and especially enemies may be acting in certain ways because they are hurting, and what you choose to say either brings healing and hope, or it pushes them further down. And this is true whether or not the person is present.
Speak to build others up.
Your words can bring light to the dark in others. Words of redemption can buy back the past of others. When we say simple and true things to one another: I love you. I am pleased with you. You are fantastic. You have what it takes. I am proud of you. I believe in you. You can bring profound hope that reflects Jesus. But to do this…you have to sacrifice your own needs and make a big deal of other people. One of the collected wisdom mantras of ancient Israel says it like this:
Proverbs 12:18
Rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
WORDS THAT LIGHT THE HOUSE OF THE WORLD.
Your words can heal. Your words can bring light. When you are in a group, instead of waiting to tell your story or make yourself look good, ask follow up questions. Ask how others are MORE than telling them how you are. Be generous with building others up. The craziest thing will happen by the way— when you use your words to lift other people up, you will slowly find that your are okay too. You will be more than okay— you will find the life that only comes with sacrificial love in imitation of Jesus.
Speak cleanly.
When you use vulgar expressions like everyone else around you, you send a constant message to your friends that your faith does not really matter. As a caveat, languages are always evolving and what is offensive changes over time. But there are words and phrases that carry dark connotations or rob people of dignity and worth. Any word or joke that devalues other people works against proper care of the house of the world. But what if as a personal discipline, your mouth was pure in speech. You would never even have to say you did not approve of the way others talked- you just could have an opportunity everyday to be eloquent, articulate, and well spoken.
When you get angry, don’t speak right away.
When someone says or does something that hurts you, whether or not the person who said it is present...just wait to speak. Take a few minutes to calm down. Understand that sometimes people will say really cruel things- but you are only responsible for what you say. There is a time to voice frustration and hurt caused by another person’s words, but when you do this after thinking on it, and praying about it, you will do it in a way that resolves conflict and does not increase the evil in the situation.
Remember that words are about light and dark.
If you want to become the kind of person that shines you have to cultivate the virtue of speaking the light. I have a two word mantra that helps me remember this: Speak Light. It reminds me to praise others and not put them down. Speak light. It reminds me not to put the darkness of gossip out into the world. Speak Light. It reminds me not to be afraid to say something encouraging to someone who needs to hear it. Speak Light. Speak Light. Speak Light. What if in our family, that was something we could just say to remind one another that we are for one another. Speak light. When we find ourselves about to gossip, about to paint a someone near or far in a less than flattering light…speak light. When we perceive that someone from our is being too cynical, too bitter, too sarcastic…speak light.
After all the God who hung the stars, illuminates the suns, and shines in the subdued tones of the moon, and hurls comets across the blackness of night… he began everything we know and everyone we will have the privilege to speak with…with simple spoken words: “Let there be Light.”