THE RUDDER OF OUR LIFE
James 3:4-5
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 3:10
10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!
I want to preface this story by saying I am not judging any church or Pastor out there.
Years ago, when I was in college, I was living in a different state and looking for a church. A group of students in my class attended a well-known church in the area, so one Sunday I tagged along. And for about a year and a half, I can honestly say I loved being there. The worship was awesome, and the Lord helped me grow. But early on, there was one thing I noticed about the Pastor that kind of concerned me. Without sugarcoating it, he would cuss on stage while he preached. This is a true story. I remember looking around, thinking, This is a little Odd? But I figured maybe it was just the area's culture after all, I am in a whole different state.
Years later, unfortunately, that pastor was asked to step down after some serious things were discovered about his life behind the scenes. It actually ended up making nationwide news. Now, whatever happened there is between him and the Lord, and it's always better to pray for these situations than to judge.
But here is how this connects to what we’re talking about today.
James is telling us about the power of our tongue and warns us how we can use the same mouth to praise God one moment and curse the next. And while maybe not everyone struggles with cussing or bad language, we can all let other forms of “cursing” slip from our mouths. Maybe some of us are constantly negative about our circumstances. Maybe some of us are too quick to judge and slow to show grace.
We can’t overlook the power of our words. I love how James gives us this picture: If we were a boat, our tongue is the rudder, and it is literally steering our life.
Application:
I once heard someone say that it takes our brain about 5 seconds to decide whether we want to take action or not. For example, let’s say your lawn is getting a little long and you’re feeling lazy one day, watching TV. The thought pops into your head, “I really gotta cut the grass.” Before you can even allow yourself to decide ‘I’ll do it next weekend,’ jump up quickly off your couch, put your shoes on, and get moving toward the garage and on your lawnmower. Supposedly, when you grab hold of your body’s actions under five seconds before your brain has formed another thought, before you know it, you’re being productive! Again idk if the science behind this is true, but believe it or not, I have adopted this 5-second rule thing for my words and my thoughts.
My A/C unit went out for the second time after getting it fixed just a few weeks ago. Before I could crash out or grumble the other hundred things inside me, I didn’t think twice, I said out loud, “ Thank you, Jesus, we even get to have A/C! Not everyone out there does! I know you are helping us get to the bottom of this!” And He sure did! It’s all fixed!
What Im doing is quickly grabbing hold of the rudder (my tongue) and steering it in a healthier direction than where my emotions want to go. This has helped me rewire my attitude, reactions, and, I’ll even go as far as to say, my mental health. There is just something powerful about choosing to speak blessings over people and over our circumstances, even when things don't look good.
Prayer:
Father, help me take my words more seriously. If it matters to you, it matters to me. May my tongue only praise you and speak life. Thank you for your grace and patience; you will always give me the right words.