Out of the Same Mouth- Reflections

With the New Year at the door, I find myself in a reflective mood. I think about the power of words. I find it strange that the duality of our nature makes it easy for us to praise God and to curse man with the same mouth. At times, we disparage someone and feel no qualms about it. It is one thing to PROFESS to be a Christian and quite another to LIVE as one. I should know. I am well acquainted with hypocrisy, in my own life. It happens. We are, after all, only human. We make mistakes. We lose our way. Only God is infallible. I wanted to share a few verses with you in light of recent events and the need to start the New Year with fresh and clean hearts. One of the most practical books in the Bible is the book of James. He has a lot to say about the power of the tongue: James 3: 8 – 10 No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. If we profess to love God, we ought to be able to love His children, no matter how difficult, childish, and ornery they may act at times. They are, after all, children. That means…EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US. We are ALL children of God. Yes, though we profess love for him, we at times show hatred towards each other. I John 4: 16, 19 - 21 God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. I have been saddened by the amount of hate I have seen on this site. In fact, to be honest, I've been shocked and scarred as it has hit close to home. Why can’t we just live and let live? Why can’t we just realize that only roses cannot satisfy our thirst for beauty of texture, color, shape, and scent? We need a full bouquet of poet flowers. At the threshold of the New Year, I hope we find the grace to let go of OLD grudges and open our hearts to love and forgive, for God has loved and forgiven us through Christ though we are so undeserving. Why not do the same for others? Happy New Year. My love to you ALL! Eileen M Ghali