Fire Starter

Fire Starter

July 2010 

But no one can tame the tongue. With it we bless our Lord and Father and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? - James 3:8a-11 

It was time for bed. Jackson and Jerry Jr. snuggled up to me as I held them close before laying them down for the night. I cuddled them tightly taking in the sweet, intoxicating aroma that all mothers seem to inhale from their own children. I ran my fingers over the soft skin at the nape of their necks and the bottom of their smooth feet while watching each engaging in their individual bedtime habits. My two-year-old lifted his shirt to rub his rounded belly and my four-year old lifted his right hand to his mouth and poked his thumb inside. Both boys nestled into my side and prepared to wind down for the night. Seizing the opportunity to pray over them, I began to speak to the Lord about them loudly enough for them to hear my prayers on their behalf. After praying, I quoted several Scripture verses as affirmations, claiming their promises for my sons. 

“You will love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength.” 

“God is for you, so who can be against you.” 

“You are blessed when you go in and come out; when you are in the city and in the country . . .” 

“The joy of the Lord will always be your strength.” 

“The Lord has a plan for you that includes a hope and a bright future.” 

And finally . . . 

“You will bless the Lord at all times, and His praise shall continually be in your mouth.” 

My boys had heard these verses before (I’m serious about speaking it over them as much as I possibly can) but today the message of that last one seemed to seep deep into my four-year-old’s soul. I heard the steady “thumb-sucking” sound halt abruptly as he lifted his head off of my chest and looked at me quizzically, “Mom, His praises can’t fit in my mouth. My thumb is in there right now!” I laughed, but grew quiet as the significance of this young one’s statement stung me deep within. 

The praises of God cannot fit in a mouth that is already filled with other things.  

I'm a complainer. I was born that way, or maybe having struggled with that for so long, I thought that was the way I emerged from the womb. The flame of my critical nature was so furiously fanned until it burned uncontrollably and began to leave a smoky path of destruction everywhere I went and with every person I met. Unbelievably, like others with the same problem, I lived in denial, unaware of this personality trait until a loved one, clothes still scorched by the heat of my mouth, sat me down and told me the truth. I could smell the fresh smoke and see the singed burn marks that had been left by my heated comments. They were kind yet honest. The conversation left me stunned, shocked by the self-revelation to which I had been so blinded to but better after being made aware of it.  

The Spirit came with His strong conviction that uncovered this fleshly part of me yet soothing grace to cool the embers of my critical nature. “The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a fire is set ablaze by such a small fire! The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the very course of life . . .”(James 3:5-6 ESV). I looked around at the life I had and saw small fires raging all around me, and in most cases, I knew I’d started them. 

In the days and weeks that followed, I began to feel a twinge of conviction every time a complaint or unnecessarily offered critical comment escaped my lips. Soon, I’d feel the conviction before the comment was spoken. The smoldering coals of criticism would sit on the tip of my tongue longing to make their escape. Then I had to decide whether to light the match and let the fire burn or submit to the soothing cool living water of God’s grace to me as I extended it to someone else. In those moments, what I knew for sure was that both things couldn’t be accomplished at the same time. I had to choose to indulge one option or the other; to submit to the fleshly complaints of my tongue; or to allow my mouth to be a resting ground for the praises of God. It had to be one or the other, and I was the one who had to make the choice. 

“Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water?” James asks. The answer is a resounding “No!” Both cannot come out of the same spigot. If we want our homes and workplaces to be filled with the sound of God’s praises coming from our mouths, then we must cleanse our palates of anything that would squeeze out its position of prominence. Let’s make a choice to hold in our mouths only those things which will bring honor and glory to our great God. 

**This is an excerpt from Priscilla’s study: Can We Talk: Soul Stirring Conversations with God.