Lashing Out

Are you stupid?! What sort of nonsense is this? You’re useless! Ever heard these words? As a child growing up, you may have either grown up in a home where these reactions were the first, second and third reactions from your parents; the shoot first, ask questions later policy. If you were fortunate not to grow up in such an environment, you may know someone that did.  Even though it’s a common occurrence, lashing out is a terrible trait.  Why? Because by the time you’re done, you regret what you did or said and would have damaged the person you did or said it to. 

I recently had to sit down and re-evaluate life and I found out that whenever I lashed out, it always hurt those closest to me and even when things got better, the damage from those lashings still existed even though I had forgotten about them (like I always say, it is the person that gets hit that always remembers the accident). It was then it hit me, lashing out can cause you to lose relationships and even opportunities.

James 3:6 refers to the tongue as a little flame and if you track back to vs. 5 of James 3, it talks about how a great forest is kindled by a small fire. That’s exactly what the tongue does when we lash out. It burns down all the great plans that you’ve built and no fire service can quench the fire.

While it may be hard to do, the Bible has a bit of very simple advice, God said:

“Careful words make for a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything.” Proverbs 13:3 MSG

Be careful with your words. No matter how provoked you are, be careful with your words because once they come out, they can’t be taken back in (James 3:9-12). 

Picture your teeth and your lips as the gate that guards your tongue. You never open your gate down due to security reasons. Don’t leave the gate of your tongue open.

As you go into this week, the charge is simple, be careful with the words you speak and go back to anyone you’ve ever lashed out, seek for their forgiveness and make a commitment to treat them better (if you’re fortunate to still have that opportunity).

Before you speak, consult your security guard (your mind) on whether or not the gate (your teeth and lips) need to be opened. I’ve had to lose so much to learn my lesson, trust me I’ve learnt it. Don’t wait till you lose as much as I’ve lost before you learn it.

P.S: Words are important, treat them like gold. Pass it through the fire to purify it and weigh it carefully before you let it out. 

P.P.S: Study James 3:1-12

Have a lovely week. See you next Monday.

- Sage

Photo Credit: Youversion.