Words...

...the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:5-8)

I learned this lesson again the hard way this week. My coworker said something rather insulting to me this week, and I responded rather nastily. I really wish I hadn't done that now. I apologized, and she apologized to me, and we're fine now, but I cannot unsay those words now. If I had just stopped to think that maybe she didn't mean for what she said to sound the way it sounded, then maybe I would have held off. I know I've been forgiven by her and by God but one of the lasting consequences of my sin is the memory of it and the guilt that goes with it. Words have so much power. I don't think we fully understand how much power. If we did realize it, would we weigh our words more carefully? I don't know, since our evil human nature still wants to assert itself. We have to take every thought captive and see if it conforms with God's will and His word. If it doesn't, then we shouldn't say it.