Hung By The Tongue

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

– Hebrews 4:12*

*I interpret “the word of God is alive and active” to mean “my words are alive and active”.

The ability to accept and honor the lessons that religious-affiliated books have to offer, even if you are not a part of or associate with that religion, is one of the first steps to healthy functioning. Although factions, cliques, and groups help us build community and feel a sense of belonging, they can also divide, segregate, and promote prejudice. Like the Arab proverb says “I against my brother, my brothers and I against my cousins, then my cousins and I against strangers.” And Richard Dawkins: “How thoughtful of God to arrange matters so that, wherever you happen to be born, the local religion always turns out to be the true one.” I will say… the World was not meant to be led by one single group nor was it meant to be as socially connected as we know it.

My entire childhood was spent in duality. My father, a Black man from the south, relished in pessimism and consistently reminded me of my Blackness. I thank him for grounding me and providing awareness for how some may perceive me because of my skin. My mother, a southeast Asian immigrant who grew up in the south, exuded optimism and an unconditional belief that “it will all work out”. I honor my mother for being an example of true light in a world full of darkness.

I believe many of us struggle with these opposing perspectives, while some may not be as heavy as others, they are still none the less difficult to conquer. It takes a mentally strong person to overcome and hold opposing ideas in their head. If one force is stronger than the other, we get incongruence, imbalance, and ultimately psychosis.

My Journey took years of psychosis to finally begin self-healing and find my own healthier functioning.

“Psychosomatics are people who have developed sicknesses from thoughts” (p. 19)

In the fields of counseling and psychology, the concept that our thoughts have the ability to encourage, cultivate, and foster physical illness is not new. It is however, not discussed as nearly as I believe is necessary.

“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” Matthew 12:37 (p.34).

In today’s society, we hear a lot about manifestation, “living your truth”, and other motivating catch phrases to boost people to keep working towards their goals. What many influencers fail to remind us of is that our automatic thoughts – you know, the ones that just happen – are getting in the way of our success (whoops, I’m jumping ahead of myself).

Back to hung by the tongue. If you are not Christian, I encourage and warn you to leave your religious epithets at the door, interpret the biblical verses used in this book as parables, and apply the very relevant and helpful lessons Francis Martin has to offer to your life.

As my father used to, and still does say, “watch your tongue”. Hung by the Tongue reminds me that my words are powerful… whether I believe it or not, my brain, body, the world, the universe, and the god, you may or may not believe in, does.

So if you are working on manifesting the life you want, or don’t want, start with intentionally speaking.

Speak deliberately, speak honestly, and above all else, speak kindly.