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Biting the Back
By Susanne Scheppmann
Key Verse:
“Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk.
Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32 MSG)
“Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk.
Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32 MSG)
Devotion:
Suddenly, we heard a screech from my
three-year-old granddaughter. Bawling like a newborn calf quickly followed. My
daughter-in-law and I rushed to find a purplish-red oval on Emily’s back. Ouch!
It seems her younger sister took to gnawing on her back as they struggled for
possession of a toy.
This childish episode caused me to imagine God
gazing down on our behavior, shaking His holy head and saying, “Stop talking
badly about one another. You’re hurting her. Stop backbiting over such silly
things.”
Unfortunately, backbiting comes easily for us,
doesn’t it? We become put out over a co-worker, a neighbor, or even a sister in
Christ, and we begin to speak with negative words spewing from our mouth. Our
tongues wag and we injure people—sometimes the ones we love the most.
Remember the childhood rhyme, “Sticks and stones
can break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? Ha! That is a false
statement. Hurtful words can damage and leave bite marks for a lifetime.
So why do we do this? We backbite because our
words are the most difficult thing for us to control. The Bible states in James
3:2, “Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues,
we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way (NLT).
We need to pray that the Holy Spirit will nudge us each time we are ready to
fling a few disparaging words.
In addition, if we are the recipient of a bite
on the back, we must learn to forgive quickly. Our key verse advises us to,
“Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.”
This isn’t as hard as it may seem. Realize that things are said that may be
misspoken, and not meant to hurt as much as they do. Understand that if you
hold bitterness in your heart about the unkind words, the bitterness affects
you, not the other person.
I witnessed this forgiveness in action with my
granddaughters. The younger one, the backbiter looked defiant, then confused,
then sad. “She said, “Sworry.” They hugged.
Later in the day Emily, the granddaughter who
had been bitten, said, “It hurt real bad, but now it’s not.” Yes, there are two
lessons to be learned from our key verse and two toddlers—don’t backbite—and
forgive.”
Prayer:
Dear Lord, I ask the Holy Spirit to nudge me the
next time I begin to backbite someone. Give me the sense and control to shut my
mouth before anything hurtful hurls itself off my tongue. Also, help me to
forgive those who hurt me with their words. Mold me into your image of grace
and forgiveness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Application
steps:
Read James 3:1-12. Ponder what James compares
the tongue to in these verses. Consider if your tongue is a “restful evil, full
of deadly poison.” Determine today not to backbite anyone—no matter how
aggravating. Decide to use your tongue for the encouragement of others and to
praise our God.
Reflections:
In
what situations do I most like to use my tongue in a negative manner?
Why
do I backbite? Is it jealousy, bitterness, or a power struggle?
Power verses:
Proverbs 21:23, “Watch your tongue and keep your
mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.” (NLT)
1 Peter 3:10, “For, "Whoever would love
life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from
deceitful speech.” (NIV)
James 3:5, “Likewise the tongue is a small part
of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on
fire by a small spark.” (NIV)
© 2010 by Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved.
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