Little Boy vs Human Tongue

Recently, I went to London for the weekend (I know my FaceBook friends became sick and tired of me checking into places). During my stay I visited the Imperial War Museum (I'm a student and it's free, enough said!). In the museum was a replica of the bomb "Little Boy" (pictured above). A small information stand said that "Little Boy" was the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in World War II that killed 66,000 and injured a further 69,000 as well as turning buildings to wasteland. On top of this was the effect of radiation which killed thousands more in the following year.


Whilst reading this, another visitor stated "It's amazing how something so small can cause so much devastation". Immediately this sparked in my mind something we had spoken about in our house groups in church a few weeks ago. We were looking at the words that we speak and taming the tongue. Its amazing how such a small muscle in our body can cause utter devastation for those around us. With one sentence we can start a rumour about another brother or sister in christ that can eventually, utterly destroy them. With our tongues we have the power to cut someone down, upset them and hurt them. The book of James is full of warnings about the tongue calling it "a world of evil among the parts of the body" (3:6) and saying that it is "full of deadly poison" (3:8). I can often think of situations when I've said something negative or spiteful about someone else and the hurt that it has caused them. With the tongue we can say things in ten seconds that haunt and hurt the recipient for months, or maybe even years. I find myself so often saying something to put someone down and yet sometimes I am so slow to encourage or to build up that person.


How much more beneficial if, as Christians, we were quick to "encourage and build each other up" (1 Thessalonians 5:11)? Not that we should be fake and plastic in the way we are but that we would desire to love one another, build each other up and instruct and correct each other in love. How much more would God be glorified if, through Gods strength, we learnt to wield the wild weapon which is our tongue for good? If we were to include someone instead of gossiping about them, If we would encourage instead of strike down and if we would love instead of spit verbal poison, God would be more pleased. After all, if they are a child of the king, they are heaven bound, like you so why not help along the way. For God and for the Gospel.


"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen". (Ephesians 4:29)