Editorial January 1, 1979 Issue

Taming the tongue

Nathan A. Talbot

James thoroughly captured, in a phrase, the sense of frustration people too often feel: "The tongue can no man tame."^{James 3:8;} How aptly this observation describes those times when words spill out that, with more thought, we would have swallowed—or at least modified!

Is there something we can do beyond an earnest effort to think before we talk? Can we take effective steps to prevent those words that suddenly splash out and then prove to be an embarrassment or a cause for regret? We can if we are willing to increase our love of Soul and more clearly recognize our relationship to this synonym for God. The real need is not to exercise a foolproof method of controlling every word that comes out. We must discover that Soul impels its idea, man, and then we must surrender to that specific truth of being.

As we acknowledge and cherish this truth, a special attribute derived from Soul blesses our lives. It is dignity. Soul includes very specific qualities that govern and impel man's whole being. Because man is a spiritual idea expressive of Soul rather than a mortal personality subject to impulsive words, the dignity that has its source in Soul is inherent within his being. Dignity is characterized by the purity of virtue and grace. As we understand this fact, it transforms our nature. Decency and perhaps even a touch of nobility begin to mark our communication with others. We can say with Job, "My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly."^{Job 33:3;}

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