"We believe in the gift of tongues. . ."1 This spiritual gift, one of the most marvelous gifts given to mankind by our Heavenly Father, could refer to being able to speak different languages, but it can also mean simply the gift of our tongues themselves! "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. . . . For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit. . . . To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues." (1 Cor. 12:4,8, &10) It is one of the means by which the gospel can be spread, a powerful weapon of righteousness, but it is also one of the deadliest weapons of sin known to man. It is all a matter of how one chooses to use this gift.
"Let us oft speak kind words to each other. Kind words are sweet tones of the heart."2 In this hymn, we sing of speaking with the tongue of angels to our fellow man. In Jeffrey R. Holland’s talk, also entitled The Tongue of Angels, he quotes James: "‘Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also … ships, which though they be … great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm. The tongue is [also] a little member. … [But] behold, how great a [forest (Greek)] a little fire [can burn]. So is the tongue [a fire] among our members, … it defileth the whole body, … it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, … hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.’"3 (James 3:3-9) Our tongues are such a small part of us and yet they can determine the course of our lives forever.
As a leader and well-known student, my peers listened to my words all throughout high school. I believed myself the master of my destiny, the controller of my fate. And yet I could not bridle the one thing I used most: my tongue. I believed that a tongue as sharp as I thought my mind to be was a desirable thing. It was an unfortunate assumption that cost me many friends and the opinions of people whose opinions I valued. I was a living example of the person described in Proverbs who"speaketh like the piercings of a sword" (Prov. 12:18). Instead of using my tongue for righteousness and bringing my brothers and sisters into the knowledge of our Heavenly Father, I fed my own ego by slashing the egos and self-esteems of others. By the time I realized the damage my double-edged sword was inflicting on others, it was almost too late to change anything and certainly too late to regain some good opinions and repair the damage.
Nephi, however, offered hope to those with such wicked tongues: "After ye have repented of your sins, and witnessed unto the Father that ye are willing to keep my commandments, by the baptism of water, and have received the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost, and can speak with a new tongue, yea, even with the tongue of angels. . .2_ne/31/14a2_ne/31/14b" (2 Nephi 31:14) True, I had been baptized with water many years before, but what I was lacking was the baptism by fire that would allow me to speak with the tongue of angels. And, as Robert D. Hales states: "While the Holy Ghost can influence all mankind, the gift of the Holy Ghost functions when: an individual has been baptized and confirmed by one having the priesthood and has been given the gift of the Spirit, an individual continues to act under the principles of righteousness, the recipient is striving to be virtuous and pure, the recipient acts with integrity and truth and keeps the commandments of God."4
The gift of our tongues is one we should never take for granted, nor should we discount the power of our words for either good or evil. We must ask God, as Job did to "Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred" (Job 6:24) or "the Lord shall cut off all flattering ps/12/3alips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?" (Ps. 12:3-4)
Sources
1- The 7th Article of Faith
2- Hymn #232
3- Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Tongue of Angels," Ensign, May 2007
4- Robert D. Hales, "Gifts of the Spirit," Ensign, Feb 2002
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17 comments:
Rachel, I like your elaboration on the gifts of our tongues! I think that each paragraph could use a topic sentence. Good synthesis.
I like the way that you supported your thoughts on this important topic with the quotations from Elder Holland and others. Most of all, I like your frankness about learning to curb a sharp tongue. When you care about both kindness and intelligence, then you are educated. Have you considered participating in the Honors program? I hope that you will consider expanding this post for the David O. McKay essay.
I thought it was interesting how the tongue was compared to a ship's helm in that it has a large impact on its surroundings. I also liked how you included your own story. There are many people with sharp tongues that aren't aware of it. I hope that they can follow your example and change their tongues to those of angels rather than swords.
What you said is true. We need to be completely cautious with what we say, because we could be hurting someone, or even ourselves. Thank you very much.
Thanks for reminding us that we need to speak kindly to others and control our tongues.
Our words are very powerful. I really enjoyed reading your personal experience. It's a good reminder that we need to keep our tongues in-check and be sure that we're using the power of language for good!
I am blown away by your sheer honesty. I know I sometimes say hurtful things, but I usually hide from my mistakes, haha! You right that gift of tongues can be used for good or for bad. This post brought a new twist into my definition of gift of tongues, and I appreciate it:)
I really like how you portray both the good and the bad side of the gift of tongues. Being verbally talented can also be very dangerous as well.
With our mouths we are able to preach repentance and spread Truth to all nations. But, if we choose a separate path, we can also spread hate, malice, and hurt feelings. It is hard to always choose the good but it is a wonderful feeling to know that someone truly cares.
Thanks for being open about revealing a story about yourself. It helped me to remember to be careful with what I say and that well joking with my roomates can be fun I need to be careful because I might be taking it to an unhealty mean level.
It is wonderful to see the atonement at work, that our sinful acts can become works of righteousness, that our flaying tongue can be the balm in Gilead.
I totally agree with your blog- what great power our tongues have! It is a great gift but at the same time it is so easy for us to use it unwisely and hurt others and ourselves.. I really liked the quote by Jeffrey R. Holland. Thank you for sharing your thought.
Awesome post!
I like how you applied this concept to everyday life, it really means something more that way.
This thought really caught my attention, "...nor should we discount the power of our words for either good or evil." I think we all need this reminder from time to time.
That was a great blog. You really brought me in with your title. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with me.
I loved the quote from Elder Holland's talk and James. Reminds me that "by small and simple things great things come to pass". Language is an extremely powerful tool and has the power to change the hearts of those we love, and bring them unto Christ.
I really like how you said that the tongue is a gift. We should value our gifts and speak kind words.
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