What's Wrong with the World?

G.K. Chesterton, philosopher and theologian of the mid-twentieth century, once came a cross an article in a periodical entitled, "What's Wrong with the World?"  Upon reading it, Chesterton sent a very brief letter to the editor.  It read, "Dear Sir: Regarding your article, 'What's Wrong with the World?'  I am.  -  Yours Truly, G.K. Chesterton."

How willing are we to take some of the blame for the way in which the world runs these days?  Don't we usually want to blame others for the injustice and sin that is "wrong" with the world?  I'm sure Chesterton was joking, for the most part, but his response is humorous precisely because we as individuals so rarely take responsibility for what's wrong with the world, I think. 

On Sunday I preached from James 3.1-12 - the power of the tongue for both good and evil (although James seems mostly focused on the evil part).  I stated that my guess was that we would all likely face the temptation to use our tongues, our spoken words for evil, before the day was out.  I even joked that we might not even make it to the parking lot before the temptation arose.  I know this from experience.  For parents with younger children (or teenagers) the simple exercise of getting to church in the first place may open up the opportunity to use our words poorly before we ever leave the house.   Again, I speak from experience.  I am at times what's wrong with the way we speak to one another these days.  

In fact, I struggled with my own words not long after the sermon.  In a tense moment the tongue's untamed nature made itself known in and through me once again.  Salt water and fresh water flowed from the same spring and I succumbed to the temptation to speak unkindly of others.  I'm not surprised by this.  Very often, when I'm preaching on certain topics, I find myself tempted toward sin in that area, either in the week leading up to the sermon, or in the week following  it.

It would be easy to see all of this talk of watching our words as a bit juvenile or elementary.  "Surely there are bigger fish to fry than the way we speak," we might be tempted to say.  "This is the stuff of a mere Sunday School lesson!  Right?  There are causes for mission and justice and mercy to which we ought to give greater time and thought.  There are other things far more wrong with the world than the way we speak."  True.  But I believe that James is adamant and correct: we begin here.  If we are able to control our words, we are able to keep our whole bodies in check (v.2).   When we are more able to keep our bodies in check, we are a better source of hope for the world in which we live.  

There are indeed noble causes of mission in the world to which we should give ourselves, but let us begin with self control.  Let us begin where we can begin, where we may actually have some control and say-so: within our own hearts, lives and behaviors.  Then, by the grace of God, perhaps we can not only be part of what's "wrong" with the world, but what has gone "right" with the world, as well.

May our words be few and careful and wise and gracious, this day and always.  Amen.