Tongue-tried

Part of a continuing series inspired by sights of Kauai.

I’m no botanist—just someone who appreciates beauty—so my reaction to this flower was, “Oh, look at the tongue on this one.” Actually, its Greek name means “tail flower,” and one thing you need to know about this bloom is that it’s poisonous. It contains calcium oxalate crystals, and even its sap can irritate the skin and eyes. In other words, look, don’t touch.  Don’t even think about tasting.

 But, oh—the beauty of the anthurium, native to the rain forests of Central and South America. They do well in Kauai’s humid climate, too, first brought to the islands more than a century ago. Here’s the story of how it happened.  In 1876, Edouard Andre, the head gardener of Paris, spotted an anthurium on an expedition to the rain forests of Colombia. Brought back to Europe, the specimens went from Belgium to the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens in England. Then in 1889, Samuel Mills, Hawaii’s Minister of Finance, brought the first anthurium to England, planting it in the gardens of his estate.  A fussy tropical plant, it needs kept between 55-90 degrees F—preferably above 70 degrees.

What I called the “tongue” is actually the flower, which contains the plant’s reproductive system. That fact, I realized, was appropriate in light of truths that come from James’ blunt letter to Christians having problems with their tongues. That unruly slab of flesh in our mouths is prone to reproducing all sorts of negative “discharge,” like complaining, gossiping, murmuring, backbiting, and more. We tend to ignore our “tongue history,” but Jesus came down hard on it, particularly the words that deny the faith:

I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.(Matthew 12:36)

His disciple and half-brother, James, took it further:

The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts…The tongue…is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body…no man can tame the tongue, it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison [like the anthurium!]…Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. (James 3:5, 8, 10, bracketed comment added)

What’s the cure? A constant vigilance and restraint, remembering God hears every casual and negative word. Through Paul, we’re reminded to think (and also speak) of things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).  Or, as has been popularized in posters, to consider the acrostic “THINK” before speaking. The letters stand for True, Helpful, Inspirational, Necessary, and Kind.

 Next time, when tried, tested or perturbed, stop and THINK. It will make a big difference.