“For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect (fn: mature) man, able also to bridle the whole body” (James 3:2).
One of the unanticipated—yet inevitable—consequences of idolizing youth is the narcissistic immaturity it spawns. Adults acting childishly and with little, if any, self-control today do not face the societal taboos they used to. The term “adultolescence” was coined to describe a growing segment of the population over the age of 20 who have little interest in behaving like a mature, responsible adult.
As James points out, an excellent acid test of your maturity is the amount of self-control you exercise. The most challenging and revealing test of all is the amount of control you exercise over your tongue. If you are able to consistently bridle the words you utter so that your speech is free of sensuality, profanity, and idle talk and is instead pure, peaceable, gentle, merciful, and good, then your emotional and spiritual maturity is self-evident.
What a slippery spiritual hazard the tongue is.
