.png)
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.” James 3:3-5a (NIV)
Have you ever ridden a horse? I grew up riding horses in our 4-H club. My first horse was a Shetland-Welsh pony named Patches. She was an experienced game horse, meaning she had been trained to race through obstacles like weaving a row of poles or around a pattern of barrels. She was fast!
Patches also had an attitude! While she knew what to do, she didn’t always want to do what I wanted her to do. She’d learned a few tricks of her own over the years before we got her. For one, she would “bloat”, meaning fill up her lungs with air while you were putting the saddle on. I’d strap the saddle under her belly tightly, then after a few minutes, she’d let the air out and the belt (cinch) would be loose. I’d hop on the saddle and start to slide sideways! Scary!
Or, if she saw a low hanging tree branch, she’d aim for it and go underneath it with me on top, trying to knock me off the saddle. If she saw a mud puddle, she might try to get down and roll in it with me on the saddle, or turn suddenly to shake me loose. Crazy.
Patches taught me quite a few lessons as a kid, some the hard way. I learned how to use a bit and bridle – the part that your reigns attach to, that you steer with. Without them, she would go wherever she wanted, which usually wasn’t good news for me. But with the bridle, we could do wonderful things! We could go places, have fun rides, and even compete in the hose show at the local county fair, which we did.
In the book of James, the author uses the example of a bit and bridle on a horse, as well as a ship’s rudder, to teach us of the importance of controlling our tongues. How true it is, how powerful our tongues can be, for both good or evil.
I found an acronym recently that can be helpful for all of us when we speak: THINK
T – Is it TRUE?
H – Is it HELPFUL?
I – Is it INSPIRING?
N – Is it NECESSARY?
K – Is it KIND?
Try it out! Pause for a minute and reflect on a recent conversation, THINK! Remember, the same words that condemn us, can also be used to save us. God’s Word in Jesus Christ is there to save us, to forgive us, as we stand condemned by our sins. Let God’s Word pour from our lips!
In Christ; Pastor Dan
