Blessing and Cursing and the Ties That Bind

It is no small thing to make a decision…to choose one way over another. We do it all the time. Often, the significance of our decisions and choices aren’t fully revealed until long after they’ve been made. Even decisions made with the best intentions can sometimes result in pain, heartache, and negative impact on others. I’ve experienced this especially when decisions are made within a vacuum of isolation and denial. We all live in the same world, but we all interpret that world differently. Will we interpret and interact with our world through the lens of reality that calls for love and service, or will we interpret it through a thin façade of fear that hides behind a thousand masks running the gambit from indifference, to hate? Unfortunately, we often find ourselves protecting our versions of truth and what we think, rather than protecting and caring for people. Working from this rationale, it’s not hard to become known more for what you are against rather than what, or who, you are for. In my tradition, it’s concisely stated in our scripture from the book of James.

“but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth comes a blessing and a curse. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.