Joyful Transformation

Last night I sat in my recliner with my book and looked at the fire. I was thinking how much I enjoy just watching the flames lick up in the air and circle the logs feeding it. I was soaking in the warmth that the fire provided, grateful that it knocked off the chill of the late winter evening. I thought of other ways that fire was good. Nothing is better than a steak cooked over an open flame. It also makes the ordinary hamburger and hotdog extraordinary.

When fire or its derivative heat, are left unchecked they can cause damage and leave scars. Just this week my son received 2nd degree burns from a machine that was carelessly left on where he worked. He will have a scar. Many times I have lit the gas grill only to fear for my eyebrows and bangs. There have been times when they have not faired so well.

But fire has another level; out of control. When it is out of control it destroys everything in its path; trees, homes even lives. This is the fire that brings no comfort, only destruction.

James 3:6 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.

You know James compares our tongue to a fire, it is a great comparison. But I think we only compare it to the destructive out-of-control fire. We can also bring great comfort and great warmth with our words. There is nothing more relaxing and comforting than spending an evening talking with a good friend. There is nothing sweeter when we are feeling lonely than a phone call from someone that we love.

We can nourish and feed hungry souls with encouragement and love. Think of how a baby responds to the voice of his/her mother. Their whole face will light up at the sound of someone they know and love. The lonely old lady in the nursing home can hear the sound of her loved ones coming down the hall and have her day completely turned around.

There are times when our words are careless and we don’t destroy others, but we leave scars that take a while to heal. We must be careful that our sarcasm and veiled humor are not actually fiery darts to the people we come in contact with. Most of us have experienced the giving and receiving of such “darts”.

We must guard against letting our tongues setting our whole course of life on fire. We certainly do not want to harm others, but how tragic to destroy our own lives in hell because we can’t control what comes out of our mouths. You know people like that. I know people like that.

Fires like our tongues are weapons that must be controlled.