Taming my Tongue

I have been reading in James this evening after struggling with feelings of anger and frustration in the recent days. Why am I angry? I don't know. Sometimes this world, my anxiety, my depression, my unmet expectations get the best of me. Sometimes it is more clear than other days that I am not perfect. James 3:2 says, "We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check." 

WE ALL STUMBLE. 

I don't know about you but when I read those words I immediately sigh with relief. All of a sudden a weight has been lifted. And isn't that how it should be when we read the Truth of God's word? I have certainly stumbled in my anger. I have misdirected it at my husband, my children, my friends and even God. Again, I'm not sure why I'm so angry or finding myself easily annoyed. Ephesians 4:27 warns us, "do not give the devil a foothold," in regards to sinning in your anger. That is exactly what I have done. That is why I fall further from the Lord when I speak unkindly. 

James 3:4-6 continues, "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 they pilot wants to go. 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. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." 

IT MAKES GREAT BOASTS.

This is powerful and will prayerfully be mine and your greatest take away. Our words can pierce like a sword. They are powerful. Words can build people up or break them down. Yes, I stumble. But when I do I run to the Lord. Even if that means that I have to bunker down into a Starbucks with my Bible wide open in front of me. I will run fast to Christ. He is the only one who can save me from the entrapment of the day to day. He forgives me. He gives me the strength to have even the smallest successes in taming my tongue. 

I want to iterate once again, I am not perfect. I don't pretend to be. I try but I fail repeatedly. Christ calls to each one of us, whether you're listening or not. He's calling us out of the overwhelming waves of sin. He's offering light in our darkest places. He promises healing and peace. He's calling us to seek His perfection instead of searching for our own. I cannot be perfect. But I can be perfectly loved by a perfect Father.