Most toxic pollutant: The tongue

A few years ago, some friends invited my wife, Cathe, and me to stay in their cabin in Virginia, which was out in the country. Before settling in, I told them, "I know this is going to sound stupid, but I don't know how to build a fire very well."

Being a native of Southern California, I usually just have a gas fire, so building a fire from scratch was not something I had much experience with.

They said, "Well, you have to go out and get some kindling."

"Where do you buy that?" I asked.

"You don't buy it," they told me. "You fetch it. Kindling consists of the little branches and things you start the fire with."

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Then they showed me the proper way to start a fire and pointed out that once the fireplace was filled with enough ash, I would need to scoop it into a metal bucket, which I was to keep on a concrete surface so the embers would cool down. I should make sure the embers are cool before disposing of the ashes, they added, because they do stay quite live for a period of time.

Because it was freezing cold outside, we burned both of the cabin's fireplaces nonstop. I would get up at 3 a.m. to put more logs on the fire and dutifully scoop out the ashes into the bucket.

After a while the bucket was full, and I still had more ashes to clean out of the fireplaces. I thought to myself, It has been a couple of days. ... It was midnight, and my wife was already in bed. I went outside in my pajamas and slippers, took the bucket of ash, and pitched it out into the forest. Then everything began to move in slow motion. In the ash, much to my horror, I spotted some burning embers just as they left the safety of the bucket. Immediately, three little fires started. I jumped into action and began picking up embers with my bare hands and throwing them onto the driveway. Then a breeze came along, and more little fires were starting. I ran into the cabin to look for a bucket, only to find something about the size of a small ice bucket. I filled it up, emptied it onto the fire, and then frantically repeated the process until the fire was finally out. All night long, I kept looking outside, thinking I would see a blazing forest.

It reminded me of a statement from the Bible: "Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. ..."

More people have died by the power of the tongue than by any other weapon humanity has ever devised. Today, we have warning labels on everything. There are safety standards that products must first meet before they can be sold. We have gun control. We have emissions requirements. But the most dangerous weapon, the most toxic pollutant of all, is left unrestricted: the tongue.

Dedicated to God, the tongue can be a powerful force for good. But left unchecked, it is the most destructive weapon on the face of planet Earth. We know that we are not supposed to lie. We know that we are not supposed to steal. We know that we are not supposed to murder.

But one area that is all too often left unchecked in our lives is thinking about what we say. For example, most people would never dream of suddenly taking out a knife and stabbing someone. They would never think of having their worst enemy assassinated. Yet how quick we are to assassinate another person's character.

The Bible makes several comparisons to the tongue, one of them being that of a bit in a horse's mouth (see James 3:3). Some years ago, I went to the Rose Parade, where I watched with amazement as a man rode down the street on a buffalo. Not only was the buffalo saddled, but it also was bridled. I thought how incredible it was that the rider could control such a massive beast with only a small bit in its mouth.

Just as a bit controls a horse (or a buffalo at the Rose Parade), we are controlled by our words. One word can set the course that our lives take. The single word of a judge can condemn or forgive you. Saying "I do" means a lifetime of commitment in marriage. Saying "I won't" to a temptation of an extramarital affair could save that marriage from destruction. Saying "I will" to Jesus Christ will forever change our eternal destinies. Our tongue controls us. What we say affects what we do.

I have found that people who are often angry become bitter people, and bitter people rarely keep it to themselves. Think of those who have dedicated their words to darkness and destruction. Through his rhetoric, Adolf Hitler led an entire nation down a horrific pathway that resulted in the useless and needless slaughter of millions of people. That is what a tongue dedicated to evil can do.

Then consider a man like Billy Graham, who has dedicated his words to God. The result is that millions of people have given their lives to Christ.

To what or to whom have you dedicated your words today? They can be a dominant force for good or an appalling means of destruction. The choice is up to you.