By Elizabeth Griffin
Jon Friedman of FOX News said, “I think it's unfortunate that [Helen] Thomas's accomplishments may forever be obscured by a scandalous comment uttered in an unguarded moment. True, as someone who did her share of playing "gotcha" to subjects, Thomas should have been wise to the game.”
The recent news ‘scandal’ surrounding Helen Thomas’s criticism of Israel is a perfect illustration of the power of words and Jesus exhortation in Matthew 12:34: “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
No doubt Thomas had ruminated on Israel’s occupation of land for years, probably discussing it in private many times. Whether or not one agrees with her position, it is easy to see that her criticism was not just an on-the-spot remark. Her words came from a heart of anger and judgment that things in the Middle East were not the way she felt they should be.
Just how powerful are the words of an 89-year-old woman? Powerful enough to bring a hailstorm of criticism and her removal from a position in the press that she held reign over for how many years? Oh, about half a century.
Is there ever a time when we can let our words fly? Doesn’t an old woman have the right to speak her mind? Don’t we have freedom of speech in this country?
No, No, and Yes.
I do not mean to address the issue of freedom of speech today, but only to point out the impact of words and the Biblical mandate to speak what is true, loving, good, and above reproach at all times.
The book of James talks about the difficulty in taming the tongue – it says in chapter 3, verse 2, “If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.”
It’s easy to write that command off with the thought, “Well, that rules me out! I’m certainly not perfect.” But God never commands something of us that He doesn’t also give us the power to obey! True, you and I will need to guard our hearts and words diligently for our entire lives, but as the Holy Spirit fills us we will overflow with words of love and life. We only need to let Him reign over our hearts and tongues – just as we need Him to in every other area of our lives.
You and I may think that no one is really listening to what we have to say, but the Word of God tells us that what is done in secret will be shouted from the rooftops. How much more in this day of fb and instant messaging do we need to filter every word we speak through the love of God.
