Power in the Wake
The weather was perfect, the scenery was beautiful, and tour informative and interesting. I was standing at the railing of a large ship puttering around the coastline of the Bay at St. Michael’s, Maryland.
As I looked down on a small motor boat the Captain made an announcement to be sure to use the handrails if were standing or got up to move around. He was concerned about the wake of the little boat passing us.
I watched as that small little vessel created a wake as it sped by us. The small wake came against the large ship and we rocked over the waves.
How could such a small boat create enough of a wake to rock that large ship? If I were to run as fast as I could and hit it as hard as I could, that ship would knock me back so hard I would need medical help! How could such a small ship, creating such a small wake, have the power to rock that ship back and forth?
It is very easy to look at an object and make a judgment about its power based on size either great or small. James, in James 3:5, makes this observation about the tongue, “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!”
I shudder to think of how I may have rocked other, seemingly stronger, people with words from my tongue. I have also been rocked by the words of another from time to time. Like the wake from that small boat, some of those words are kind of fun to roll over but some of them have forced me to grab a handrail to stay on my feet.
Words have strength and power. They can be used for the good of another or to unsteady them or knock them down. Even a truth that we know is going to be hard to hear can be delivered with love, respect, and gentleness rather than disrespect and shame.
The tongue may be small and weak but what we do with it has power. This is especially true for us as wives and mothers. Though we may have to say difficult things to our children or husbands, we don’t want them fearing our words every time we open our mouths. We should want those in the wake of our tongues to enjoy the ride, not have to brace themselves for the waves when we speak.