I took one of my children to the orthodontist this morning for a consult. While I was there I talked to the Dr. about my own concerns for my teeth.

I have a very severe overbite. None of my teeth touch except the very back molars, which is great for wear but terrible on everything else. I've been told my numerous orthodontist, oral surgeons and dentists that surgery is required to fix it. Literally going in and breaking my jaw to reset. No thank you! I'll live with it!

So, I was extremely surprised when the Dr. told me it would be a very easy fix, that my tongue is the problem. What?! So, braces and a little appliances attached to my the back of my upper top teeth to keep my tongue from getting in the way of the teeth placement are all it takes. He said there are ways to retrain the tongue but this type of therapy is long and not very successful.

Who knew the tongue is so powerful? James recognized this.

"So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, by no human being can tame the tongue. It is restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.
James 3:5-10

The taming of the tongue is very difficult and can take months and years. Wouldn't it be great if the appliance that attaches to the back of the teeth to retrain the tongue would also retrain the words we speak?

Life and death are literally in the power of the tongue.  Retraining the tongue is very difficult, even with the Holy Spirit present. We slip up, shame, discount, demand, control, build up, encourage, edify, ask for help from the same tongue.

The tongue is extremely powerful. Something we don't think about very often until it causes us to tear down someone we love. Then we can see the damage that the tongue can cause.

An overbite is a physical abnormality but until today I didn't know that the tongue was the problem.

How many of us live years and don't realize our tongue is the problem with our relationships?