Monday, April 18, 2011

Hidden Treasures: Tamed vs. Controlled

James 3:1  but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.


When I first read this, I thought so what's the use?  On one hand we are told to bridle our tongues and control it but on the other hand we are told it can't be tamed.

Then as I thought about it, I realized something.  The author is not commanding us to do something that is impossible.  Taming and controlling are two different things.

Taming is similar to domesticating.  A lion "tamer" really does not domesticate a lion.  If this were true they would not need to keep it caged when it's not in the ring.  A lion "tamer" merely controls the lion.  The lion is still wild at heart and when provoked could easily take the lion tamer out.

It's the same with our tongues.  It can never be tamed in the sense of domesticated, but it can be controlled.  That's what we are commanded to do with our tongues...learn to control them.

No comments: