My husband, John has been leading our church and our denomination through some controversial waters lately, making it seem some days like he’s Jason Bourne running the gauntlet with a lot of people shooting at him. One person threatened him and called him a terrorist… A tad scary. I asked if there wasn’t “someone” we should report that to. As our friend Sharon says, “Words matter.”
A couple months ago John met with a good friend of ours for coffee.
This should have been a good thing. It was with someone we love and respect.
But when he came home he was …dejected I guess is the word for it. Because this appointment was an attempt to start rebuilding a relationship that has been damaged by gossip. Gossip that was totally unfounded. And as much as John could deny this slander, the damage had been done. He was frustrated and tired and sad.
He and I have been overwhelmed and discouraged at different times experiencing the destructive power of the tongue.
In the Bible James says the tongue can destroy like a forest fire. How do you “un-burn” a forest after a fire?
We just can’t totally undo the damage of words. It seems there’s always a lingering wound, a seed of doubt, a bit of suspicion. I think about how long it takes a charred forest to experience re-growth and I grieve the damage that will take so long to repair. You just have to carefully protect and nurture the new life that starts to grow out of the ashes and pray no one sets another fire.
Why do we seem to want to expect the worst of others, especially leaders?
How delighted must Satan be when our gossip destroys the unity that Jesus called the Church to model?
This is an example from our life, but it’s not about “us”. It’s about all of us…it’s about the Body of Christ and our posture towards each other.
As someone who has both sinned in this way, and experienced the terrible fall-out from others who have, I want to renew my commitment to honest, direct conversations and words that build up. I feel like I should have Proverbs 10:19 tatooed on my hand: “Where words are many sin is not absent.”
Forgive us Lord. Forgive me. Nurture new life out of the ashes.
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I was taught as a child by my father, that fire is a necessary stage in the evolution of a healthy forest. Without the fire, the environment couldn't support new growth. The denominational changes scare me, but I support the leadership John has stepped into, and I trust the spirit in which it is being done.
ReplyDeleteI love this! What a great reminder to us all Laura of the goodness of God and His gracious words! This is a challenging topic.... something I am battling currently and will press on... how do we heal from those wounds from our past of the power of the tongue. Words have power and have meaning. People say sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.... well not true, words have power and words do hurt...
ReplyDeletePraying for you, and the body of Christ that we would understand more of His love.
Great thoughts, Laura.
ReplyDeleteBe reminded that there are *many* who love and respect John, trust his leadership, pray for him and are blessed by him. The responsibilities he takes on in his roles are important, and not taken for granted.
Love what Paul said up there too!