Words

Words are very interesting. They hold within them such great power to harm or heal. The wise person uses them for the edification and encouragement of others. The foolish person uses them in an immature way that only brings hurt and pain. Then there is the growing person (me) that, more often than not, falls prey to foot-in-mouth disease and opens the mouth before thoughts go through the head.

How many of you have this disease? It is a tough one. Who would have thought that the tongue (creator of words) would have such power? Well, James did and he wrote about it in his letter to early Christians. "All of us do many wrong things. But if you can control your tongue, you are mature and able to control your whole body." (James 3:2, CEV)

Yes, we Christians are not perfect and we make many mistakes throughout our walk with God. But, according to this passage, we have the power to control ourselves. We gain wisdom and insight and then use them to by living right in everything we do and say. For those of you that suffer from 'the disease,' there is hope. We can learn to control or words through prayer, study and growth.