James 3

A reflection by Kristen Yee, a member of our Marketing Team

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.

I’m sure we’ve all heard it before, but it was a saying that came particularly to my mind during this week’s Bible study of James 3. I’ve never personally agreed with the statement, but I thought it was interesting that Scripture so explicitly denied it as well.

“So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!”

James 3:5 was a lurid reminder to me of the power of words. A few words thrown out carelessly — like small, glowing embers — can set an entire forest on fire. The verse warns us that our words can sometimes have unpredictable effects, especially when we don’t take the time to think through what we say. Not only that, but it’s also a grave reminder of the dangers of a loose tongue because, as the chapter further elaborates, it can lead us as Christians to live out contradictory lives.

I definitely have a tendency to say things lightly when I’m around people that I’m comfortable with, especially because humor is important in my friendships, but also because I tend to use humor as a sort of coping mechanism. A joke, light laughter, and a lack of context might make someone feel like I’m unable to take them seriously. And the scariest part to me is that I might never know that I’ve made a person feel that way. Reading the beginning portion of James 3, I’m reminded that the care and thought I put into my words during Bible studies or while sharing prayer requests should be applied all the time, not just when I’m in settings where I feel truly surrounded by God’s presence. Because God’s presence is everywhere, omnipresent, everlasting. And yet even as I reflect on all the times that I have stumbled, I’m so grateful to know that the Lord is merciful, patient, and accepting of me, even in my shortcomings.

As an ending note, I think it’s also important for me to remember that God gave us words for us a reason. He didn’t give them to us for us to keep to ourselves for fear of hurting others; He heeds us to use them with care. Words really are God’s present to us, that we may live out His will. A simple encouragement, a comforting text, an expression of love, or even something like the emails of affirmation I recently sent to my professors for YHWH’s recent fundraiser, can set a forest beautifully alight with the fire of God’s love.