Exploring the Power of Words, Self-Mastery, and Thought-Provoking Reads

Week after week, as I sit down, I try to reflect on what I learned, what I did, and how I might have done better. Often, many of the ideas and thoughts do not make it into these digital pages. As I reflect on the conversations I had, I try to look in the mirror and understand how or where I errored, where I could have refrained and simply held my tongue. This is something I have tried to practice often while in small group discussions within my church group. Often, during the discussion, I find an idea or revelation has struck me, and the urge to say something or share the idea strikes me, and rather than try to squeeze it into the conversation, I will instead swallow the thought and keep it to myself. It may have been worth sharing, but more often than not, I realize it is generally nothing that hasn’t already been said in some way. Learning to refrain and simply hold my tongue is a practical way that I try to practice self-control. There is the Biblical idea that our tongue is like a “double-edged sword with the power of life and death within it.” Then there is also the idea that the “Meek shall inherit the earth.”

I have heard a few sermons on these ideas, and the one that has really stuck with me is the idea of “Meekness,” which is not the same as being weak but instead, it is the idea of self-restraint and self-mastery. A pop-cultural version of this idea, I think, would be the line that Uncle Ben says to Peter Parker: “With great power comes great responsibility.” I don’t think the quote fully captures the biblical principle, but it does capture a part of it. We have great power in our tongue, we have the power to both destroy and give life. I heard of an experiment once where two plants were set next to one another, and each day, someone would come by, and they would speak life and encouragement to one, and they would criticize the other. After a few weeks, the one that had constantly been criticized began to wither while the other flourished.

As I was meditating on this idea this morning and reflecting on the words I say, I realized this is an area I can and need to continue to grow. As I was thinking through this idea, I found myself thinking about the fact that at the moment of creation, God literally spoke creation and life into being, and I am a creature made in His image. So, this same power to speak life or death lives in me. I also find it interesting that in the bible, the tongue is compared to a sword, and I think it really is a truly appropriate comparison. It is a sword that we all wield, and I think we often wield it wildly and with very little regard for who we wound in the process. I imagine it as though we are all running around with swords unsheathed in a crowd, and due to a lack of training and practice, we often end up cutting friends and strangers alike without realizing it.

I truly love this idea, as it makes sense to me if our words are a form of swordplay. When we are arguing or when we are trying to communicate our ideas, it is a form of sparring with someone, and if we have not taken the time to train our tongue, the result will be that we will eventually wound someone if only in ignorance. If you’ve ever seen someone practice fencing or watched a movie where someone begins to lose the swordfight, what will often happen is they will begin to swing wildly as they go on the defense. I think this is something that we too often do when we begin to lose a verbal spat or argument; we begin to swing wildly, seeking to maim while we desperately try to regain our footing.

I am someone who enjoys watching debates; watching two people verbally spar is something that I find very entertaining. I used to watch a lot of Christian debates; I would often watch Christians debate Atheists, and listening to both parties present their arguments was something that I really enjoyed. In good debates, both parties will present their side and their perspective without attempting to attack the other party personally. Then, there would be other debates that would often devolve into very nearly name-calling the other party. What I realized is there are two ways that this would generally occur. One would be if one party began winning, they would press their advantage and would begin to essentially mock the other’s intelligence. The second would be that when the losing party realized they were on the defense, they would begin to swing wildly, insulting the other person’s character or intelligence. In the worst-case scenario, both parties devolve into name-calling, and soon, rather than it being a debate, it has turned into two adults acting like children.

So, as I reflect on this, I hope I can learn to be a better master of my tongue while also learning to politely disagree with someone even when, in the end, we do not agree. As we roll into 2024 and the American election season, I hope this is a skill we can all grow in.

Facing The Beast, by Naomi Wolf

I originally learned of this book when I listened to the “Real Talk With Zuby” podcast, where he interviews Naomi. This book was a truly enlightening one for me as Naomi introduces herself and details her own story as an influential left-leaning intellectual and feminist and how she began to question the wisdom of the COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccination mandates that she experienced the turning of her allies. In this book, she also details how COVID-19 was the turning point for her beliefs in the spiritual. She could not explain how human beings could manage to orchestrate the total lockstep shutdown of the world.

Reading this book, I could not help but agree with her and find her giving voice to an idea I, too, had considered during this pandemic. It seemed to me there was indeed something more than human forces behind the total tyrannical shutdown that we experienced.

The Return of the Gods, By Jonathan Cahn

As I read Naomi’s book, she briefly mentioned this book and found it caught my interest. In this book, Jonathan does an incredible job of introducing and weaving a dramatic narrative that is both compelling and scary. There are times when his ideas seem a little far-fetched as he weaves together the old rituals of the pagan gods and connects them to our modern-day rituals. I found this book both compelling and disturbing as I realized the truth of many of the ideas mentioned.

America has, in so many ways, embraced many of the pagan rituals of old. They just look a little different today. This is a very interesting book and one I would recommend to anyone who is interested in seeing the evil behind the curtain of many American industries. This book also shines a light on many of modern America’s idols.

I will be keeping this post a little shorter than usual. I hope you enjoyed and if anyone decides to read either of these books, please let me know your thoughts, as I am very interested to hear someone else’s opinions on the ideas presented in both!