FIRE!!

I feel like I need to make a disclaimer right from the start . . . Mom, I was young then and yes I have learned my lesson.  Ok, now I can continue. . .

On the back end of Cindy Lane there used to be this giant hill of dirt.  We would always ride our bikes on it and play battle and other fun things there.  I remember once in the month of January my cousin, Chad, and I were messing around the hill and developed an appetite.  So, we decided to ride our bikes up the the local market (Midway Groceries) to get a snack and something to drink.  I remember we each got a small carton of chocolate milk (you will see how I remember this soon).  So we headed back to the hill to enjoy our snack.  Now, I don't remember if it was really cold (after all, this was in south Louisiana) or if we just thought it would be "cool" to have us a little "camp fire" while we ate.  But, we decided to gather some sticks and start a fire.  It was pretty easy to start as we used the cartons from our milk to light the sticks.  I remember searching for some more sticks to keep it going.  It was then that Chad had a  great idea.  He found this old dead Christmas tree that he was going to use some of its branches for the fire (if you think you know where this is going . . . you have no idea).  So, we had all the wood we needed and yes the dried branches made for good burning.

All was good in our adventure until it was time for us to leave.  We decided to just "smother" the fire to put it out.  So Chad (yes it sounds like I am putting a lot on him . . . but just wait my genius will come out soon enough) decided to pick up the remainder of the dead, dry Christmas tree and began to beat the fire in an effort to put it out.  To our amazement the tree as a whole burned much quicker and faster than the individual branches.  Now, here is where my intelligence really came out.  In my quick thinking, I remembered a ditch just down from the hill and I told Chad to drag the, now burning, Christmas tree over to the water to put the fire out.  This plan was perfect, except for one unforeseen factor.  Being as it was in January, not only was the tree dried out but the long grass all around was also dried out and supported combustion quite readily.  We managed to get the tree to the ditch and put that fire out but literally left a trail of burning grass behind us.  It was then we got to be firemen for a day.  What joy we had as we frantically ran stomping out all the fires.  Many times we looked at each other wondering if we should just run for our lives or keep on stomping.  All kidding aside, it was a pretty big, quickly spreading fire.  If we would have had cell phones back then, we would have certainly made a call to the fire department (and ran!).  We did eventually get the fire out . . . and we did learn our lesson (next time get bottled water rather than milk).

I can't help to think of a passage of scripture every time I tell that story:


James 3:4-10 (NLT)

And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. ⁵ So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. ⁶ And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

⁷ People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, ⁸ but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. ¹⁰ And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!

I am sure that we have all been the recipients of the wickedness of someone else's tongue.  We can all relate to the words of James in this scripture.  My questions is, if we have felt the sting of the harshness of someone else's words . . . how can we do the same to others?  Surely, we understand how James says "no one can tame the tongue".

Today, we have changed our tactics some . . . but the damage is just as deadly. We are quick to use social media sites such as Facebook to air out all of our dirty laundry.  We think somehow it is not as bad if we are  typing this stuff rather that speaking. . . as the whole Facebook world reads these words many are quick to "like" your status and even leave comments themselves.  I think the "fires" spread much quicker today than when James wrote this but the destruction is just as bad.

James also spoke how blessings and cursing come out of the same mouth.  I think this speaks to volumes more than just the words we use.  We can say all the "right" stuff but if our actions do not follow our words then we are just as guilty.  We can try and "cover" the truth . . . but like that dry Christmas tree . . . the flames will only get greater.

So is there any hope? Yep, here are a few quick "fire fighting" tips:

1) Remember the old saying, "Garbage in, garbage out"?  Well, fill your mind with the good things of God through the reading of His Word.

2) Realize that we cannot control or tame this tongue on our own.  Spend time in prayer asking God to help bring this "blazing flame of destruction" under control.  And not just your control but under God's control.

3) If blessing and cursing cannot come from the same mouth . . . spend more time blessing and you will not have the opportunity to do the cursing.  Look for reasons to bless others.

These are just a few . . . but if we could just master these . . . imagine what a difference it would make in your own life as in the lives of those around you.

Bro. D

PS. . . be sure to tune in next time as I recall stories of rocket ships and clothes dryers!!