Blessing and Cursing from One Mouth
Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This ought not to be so.
Sweet water and bitter cannot flow from the same spring, James says.
Are the words I smile and say to your face, and those I mutter behind your back, from the same person?
📝Reflection
Sweet water and bitter cannot flow from the same spring, James says. Yet the human mouth, strangely, manages it — encouraging someone in the morning and tearing them down at night. For a long time I pretended not to see that contradiction. If what I say to your face differs from what I say behind your back, one of them is a lie. Consistency of speech is the truthfulness of the person. Only when you can say the same words everywhere does the mouth become a clear spring.
🌱Apply It Today
When you speak of someone today, use this test: "Could I say this to their face?"
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
