bite my tongue

the tongue..... such a small but powerful part of us. the topic of the night in my small group was, as you may have guessed, on our words.

James 3:8-10
"But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in God’s image. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters."

it's always a recurring topic... because it's such an important one. you may have better control over what you say, or maybe you're a hothead who has no filter when you speak... lashing out at others with verbal attacks. words hurt, whether you realize it or not. mere words can tear friends apart... even families. churches crumble and split over words. but in the same light, words can bring people together. form a tighter bond between friends. strengthen relationships & marriages. uplift people going through a rough patch. bring joy & utter happiness to anybody you encounter. it's all in how you use that unruly tongue of yours, which can only be tamed & controlled with God's help.

it's especially hard knowing if/when you should speak up in terms of confrontation and/or accountability with friends. do you have the right motives? are you doing so for their benefit? how will they react?

for me.. personally.. i always have a million things on my mind, and it's particularly hard to filter out the negative/selfish/unnecessary words when i'm trying to talk sense to someone... and being able to choose those uplifting/positive things to say, and not the rest. it doesn't help that i'm not the best at confrontation, in the first place... but i'm getting better at it.

my old habits of worrying/overthinking also sneak back around & overwhelm me when I least expect it, and that can ultimately effect my words.... and I hate it. for all the joy & positivity I surround myself with, it's very frustrating to let such ridiculous & insignificant junk to take over & determine my moods & how my day goes.

in closing, this song came to mind during the discussion... yet again, much respect for Relient K & their amazing lyrics

"Sometimes I say things that
I wish that I could take back
Then the smartest thing to say is to tell myself

To keep quiet, quiet
Don't let it all come undone
Cause if I dare open my mouth
It'll just be to bite my tongue
Yeah, I gotta keep quiet, quiet
And listen to your voice
Because the power of your words
Can repair all that I've destroyed

And when I finally do
Let it come from you
The peace of understanding grips my soul
You're the reason I've
Found meaning in this life
So I'll swallow up my pride and give you control
Give it to you"