Taming the Tongue

I truly admire those of you who are gentle and kind and never criticize others. I want to be just like you when I grow up, but I’m not there yet. Too often I find myself saying, “I don’t mean to criticize, but . . .,” or “I don’t want to sound mean, but. . . .” And, BIG SURPRISE! The next thing out of my mouth is a critical statement. UGH! Why do I do that?

Ephesians 4:29 says, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (NLT). Isn’t that beautiful? I want to be like that. I want everything I say to be filled with grace, love, and encouragement. What is it about criticism that’s so appealing, so hard to resist? Why this need to find fault, to tear down others, to point out their shortcomings?

In James 3:8-9 we are warned, “but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness” (NIV).

No man can tame the tongue, it’s true, but God can. I know that only His divine grace flowing through me can transform me into that person described in Ephesians 4. Each day as I get closer and closer to Him and trust Him to guide me through this life, I am changing. 2 Corinthians 5:17 promises, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

I can’t do something this big on my own. It’s a huge relief to know that God is at work, changing me from the inside out.