Don’t be a Daisy

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue

And those who love it will eat its fruits.”

 Proverbs 18:21

            You’ve likely heard the popular story about Mrs. O’Leary’s cow. Legend has it that Daisy kicked over a kerosene lantern while she was being milked, igniting the fire that started the Great Chicago Fire. Whether or not she truly was the source of the fire that destroyed so many lives, there is still a lesson to be learned; it only takes a spark to cause irreparable damage.

            James compares the tongue to a fire. It not only destroys others, it also ‘sets the whole course of one’s life on fire’ (James 3:6). I love the way The Message interprets this passage: “It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.”

            Our words matter to God. They expose what is in our hearts (Matthew 12: 34-37). How then can we siphon what spills from our mouths?

1. Consider your heart. Matthew 15 reminds us that the words we speak come from the content of our hearts. Like David, we need to continually ask God to cleanse our hearts and renew our spirit (Psalm 139: 23-24) so what flows from our mouths is God-centered rather than self-centered.
2. Memorize and meditate on Scripture. “When the heart full of God’s love can draw on the mind full of God’s word, timely blessings flow from the mouth” (John Piper).
3. Pray. “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” (Psalm 141: 3-4). This should be a regular prayer rather than an occasional one because we are so prone to forget!
4. Consider content. Does this help, elevate, encourage, edify, comfort, build up, or glorify God? How will my words affect my relationship with God, family, and friends? Would Jesus sign this post (for social media)? Have I prayed about it more than I’ve talked about it? If not, let it go.

Consider your words. Do they help or harm? Far better be it to say nothing than to be like Daisy and ignite a fire.