The Tongue

Church Thoughts · 005 — The Tongue By Makena Brandon · 5th May, 2026 · Sweetwaters Altar, Nanyuki By this time it was deep into the night and honestly I was finished. My mind had carried too much already. I had written, prayed, thought, remembered, questioned, and at some point I even told myself that enough was enough. I needed sleep. I leaned back for a moment and just stared at the ceiling of the church. Then something came into my mind. The tongue. At first I ignored it. I was tired.

I did not want another thought. But it stayed. So I asked myself... what is it about this small organ that God keeps talking about in Scripture? Why would something so small be mentioned with such seriousness? Why would the Epistle of James chapter 3 speak about it almost like fire? I opened my Bible and read it again. And as I sat there thinking, I even touched my tongue with my teeth for a second, almost laughing to myself. It looked so ordinary. Soft. Small. Hidden behind teeth.

Yet this same thing has probably caused more damage in human life than fists. And I started remembering things. I remembered words I was told as a child that I still remember even now. I remembered words I have said to people and later wished I could take back. I remembered jokes that looked small but hurt someone deeply. I remembered gossip. I remembered lies. I remembered promises. I remembered saying I am okay when I was not okay.

The Tongue Never Works Alone

And I realized something. The tongue never works alone. It serves whatever is happening inside a man. If there is anger inside, anger speaks. If there is pride inside, pride speaks. If there is lust inside, lust speaks. If there is wisdom inside, wisdom speaks. If there is God inside, even that shows. That is why two people can say the same words but they do not carry the same weight. One person says I love you and it feels safe. Another says I love you and somehow you still feel empty.

Same words. Different spirit.

Words in Homes

Then I started thinking about homes. How a mother can tell her child, "Wewe unaweza" (You can do it). And that child grows carrying courage. Then another child hears, "Wewe ni shida tu" (You are nothing but trouble). And years later that child is still fighting words spoken in childhood. And I sat there asking myself... How many people are not broken by life... but by words? How many people smile outside but inside they are still carrying sentences somebody spoke years ago?

Why The Bible Gives The Tongue

So Much Attention Then I understood why the Bible gives the tongue so much attention. Because before people destroy with actions... they usually destroy with words. And before people heal with actions... they often heal with words too. I took my pen and wrote in my notebook: "The tongue is small enough to hide... but powerful enough to reveal a man." And I knew... This was another church thought. Church Thoughts 005 · Sweetwaters Altar, Nanyuki · 5th May, 2026