A young man once said some words to his wife that hurt her
deeply. Wanting to undo the pain he had caused but not knowing how,
he went to the village wise man. The old man told him to take a
down pillow, climb to the top of a nearby mountain, and scatter the
feathers to the four winds. The man did as he was told and then
returned to the wise man and asked if his words were now taken
back.
A young man once said some words to his wife that hurt her deeply. Wanting to undo the pain he had caused but not knowing how, he went to the village wise man. The old man told him to take a down pillow, climb to the top of a nearby mountain, and scatter the feathers to the four winds. The man did as he was told and then returned to the wise man and asked if his words were now taken back.
“Not quite,” said the old man, “you have one more task. Go out and gather every feather you tossed to the wind.”
“That would be impossible,” said the young man, “there’s no way I can get those back.”
“Ahhh …” said the old man with a nod of his head, “and neither can you undo the damage your words have caused.”
The moral of the story is pretty obvious: Don’t say things that you will later regret. But all of us, at one time or another, have said things we wish we could somehow take back. Sometimes we say the kindest things to one another, and then turn around and say something absolutely terrible. We are, in a word, inconsistent. “With our tongues we praise our Lord and Father. Yet, with the same tongues we curse people, who were created in God’s likeness. Praise and curses come from the same mouth. Friends, this should not happen! Do clean and polluted water flow out of the same spring? Can a fig tree produce olives? Can a grapevine produce figs? In the same way, a spring of salt water can’t produce fresh water” (James 3:9-12).
James uses two illustrations from nature to make his point: fresh water never comes from salt water springs and one kind of tree never produces the fruit of another kind of tree. The fruit of any tree is determined by what’s inside that tree … and here James reveals our true dilemma: Our real problem is not with our tongue, but with our heart. The tongue is like a bucket and the heart is like a well. The bucket goes down and brings up whatever is in the well. This is what Jesus is teaching in Matthew 12:34 when he asks his enemies, “How can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Our words reveal who we really are. This is why each of us should memorize and daily pray the words of Psalm 141:3, “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” This is wise counsel for every Christian, regardless of our commitment to God or spiritual maturity.
Evangelist Jack Holcomb tells of the time he was in Denver and speaking to overflow crowds. The response was so great that he had to extend the Crusade three days. This made him pressed for time to get to his next Crusade in southern Colorado, so after his last message in Denver, he jumped in his car, exhausted and stressed for time, and headed south.
Just a few miles out of town he saw those telltale flashing red lights in his rearview mirror. He pulled to the side of the road, upset and tired, jumped out of the car and snapped at Highway Patrolman, “OK, I was speeding, just give me the stupid ticket … I don’t know why cops don’t have something better do like catching real criminals instead of harassing motorists …” As he spoke, he got more and more upset. “Just hurry up and write the dumb ticket!”
The officer, who had been quietly listening, said, “Wait, wait … you know, I used to be a lot like you are … angry, snapping at people … but four days ago I was attending a series of meetings in Denver, and I heard about someone who could change my life, and before we talk about the ticket, let me tell you about someone who can change your life as well … his name is Jesus Christ.”
As you might imagine, about that time Holcomb was looking around for a hole to crawl into, but he had the courage to look the police officer in the eye and say, “I’m the man who told you about Christ, and I’m ashamed.”
Ouch! Been that, done there. How about you? James affirms something we all learn: that the tongue is something no person can tame … only God can tame it. And God starts at the root of the problem, the heart… and here’s his offer: “I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you” (Ezekiel 36:26).
