BENEATH THIS STONE, A LUMP OF CLAY
LIES ARABELLA YOUNG, WHO,
ON THE TWENTY-FOURTH OF MAY,
BEGAN TO HOLD HER TONGUE.
The tongue:
Charles Swindoll describes it in "Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life."
The tongue -- what a study in contrasts! To the physician it's merely a two-ounce slab of mucous membrane, enclosing a complex array of muscles and nerves that enable our bodies to chew, taste, and swallow. How helpful! Equally significant, it is the major organ of communication that enables us to articulate distinct sounds so we can understand each other. How essential!
Without the tongue, our entire world would be reduced to unintelligible grunts and shrugs. Seldom do we pause to realize just how valuable this strange muscle in our mouths really is.
But the tongue is a volatile as it is vital. It was Washington Irving who first said, "A sharp tongue is the only edge tool that grows keener with constant use." It was James, the half brother of Jesus, who first warned:
The tongue is a fire...a restless evil and full of deadly poison (James 3:6, 8).
Verbal cyanide. A lethal, relentless, flaming missile which assaults with hellish power, blistering and destroying at will.
Not only is the tongue untamed, it's untamable! Meaning what? Meaning as long as you live it will never gain control of itself. It defies being tamed. Incredible!
William Morris shared these poetic thoughts with us.
If your lips would keep from slips,
Five things observe with care:
To whom you speak; of whom you speak;
And how, and when, and where
Five things observe with care:
To whom you speak; of whom you speak;
And how, and when, and where
Are our words accurate or exaggerated, king or cutting, necessary or needless, wholesome or vile, grateful or complaining? I have a poster in my office which reads, "Oh Lord, let my words be sweet and tender, for tomorrow I may have to eat them."
Come join us for some wholesome words on Sunday.
Pastor John Giesbrecht
