JAMES DAY 22 - What Is Your Footprint?

DAY 22
WHAT’S MY FOOTPRINT?
James 3:3-6

Reduce, reuse, recycle. 

My generation grewup with those words repeated to us like a mantra. It was our gateway to caring about the environment. As cities choked on smog, we were learning to think about our footprint, the effects of our actions on the natural world. 

In v. 3, James turns from platform to footprint. He uses three examples to show us something powerful about our words. James mentions a horse bit, a ship rudder, and a spark of fire. What do they all have in common? All three are small things with big impact. Riders turn a horse with a bit, pilots steer a massive boat with a rudder, and raging fires start with a tiny spark. 

Words seem like such a little thing. But don’t they have a lot of power? “It’s over” can turn our world upside down. Hateful words, typed over and over again online, can bully someone into depression or worse. People feel empowered to say hurtful things online they’d never say in person. 

Words can do a lot of damage. We’ve caused some of that wreckage and also been on the receiving end of it. Followers of Jesus Christ, people who want a faith that works, have to take stock of our word footprint. That includes taking responsibility for how our words have hurt people. 

We also have to see how uncontrolled words burn our own lives down, too. James takes a surprising turn in v.6 before heading into his final section. He says, “[The tongue] corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” Our words hurt us, too. The more uncontrolled our words become, the more uncontrolled we become. It’s a vicious circle. We can’t quarantine lack of restraint to one area of our lives. Eventually, it spills over or erupts out.

What footprint do your words leave behind?

REFLECT
What words do you regret saying that have hurt others? Take time to confess to God in prayer, ask forgiveness, and ask for healing of damage done.

PRAY
Lord, I’ve said things I regret saying, things that hurt people and don’t honor you. Forgive me. Heal the damage I’ve caused, both the damage done to other and to myself. Amen.