⁷For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. ⁸But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.

That James speaks with hyperbole is without question; we should be able to control our tongues. But our speech is by far the most difficult thing in the Christian life to control. Not to diminish the difficulties people have in other areas, like addictions of various sorts. The difficulty of control in other areas just supports James’ emphasis; controlling what we say is even more difficult.

We use our mouths constantly, to eat, to breathe. We so easily lick our lips or move our tongue around on the inside of our mouth, and of course, our tongue is absolutely necessary in forming words with which we communicate. And we do it so much we become oblivious to it altogether.

To be technically and scientifically precise, our tongues, lips, mouths are just instruments we use to communicate to others. Writing with our hands accomplishes the same purpose and would certainly fall within the purview of James’ point. Our communication can go out from us very easily. We do not have to get up out of our chairs to do it; the rest of our body can remain in complete repose. Speaking takes very little effort, and it can be out of our mouths before we even realize it.

How often do we find ourselves saying, “Why did I go and say that?” The reality is that we said it because we thought it. As James wrote earlier, “[W]hen lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (James 1:15). We speak what we “conceive” in our minds, and the tongue gives it birth into the outer world as sinful thoughts now spoken. And that brings about relational death, that is, it destroys relationships.

The irony is that in life, we learn to control many things to procure our safety. Even primitive men were able to ultimately control, tame, or otherwise subdue animals much larger than themselves. Yet the failure rate for controlling the small tongue in our mouths hovers around 100%.

The stark statement may seem to be an exaggeration, but we must not minimize the enormous danger we can inflict. We must see our tongue as an evil that is always wanting to break loose. Those charged with handling deadly poison instill safety measures for handling it, being careful not to spill, drop, or mishandle it. So we need to see our words as potentially deadly, and instill controls so that we do not drop comments, spill out verbiage, or misuse our words in any way that will cause harm on any level.

Lord, help me understand the depth of pain my words can cause others.