Reading
From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.
James 3:10-12
Reflection
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker is the only woman to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. She grew up in a devout Methodist family where she was taught to dream big dreams and question everything.
But the world was not so kind. As a woman in the mid-1800s, she was repeatedly told to mind her place. Still, Walker graduated from Syracuse Medical College in 1855 with a Doctor of Medicine degree—the only woman in her class.
When the Civil War broke out, she volunteered to serve as a doctor in the Union Army. She was rejected with ridicule and laughter. Yet there were those who encouraged her, including General William Tecumseh Sherman.
After serving as a volunteer surgeon, she was eventually appointed as a paid army surgeon—the first woman in U.S. Army history to do so. In April 1864, while tending wounded soldiers between the lines, she was captured and imprisoned in an infamous Confederate prison. Mary suffered terribly there and was left mostly blind. Though she was eventually released, she was never able to practice medicine again. Despite her injuries, she went on to become a key leader in the women’s rights movement. On January 24, 1866, she received the Medal of Honor from President Andrew Johnson.
Throughout her journey, Dr. Walker endured many cruel and discouraging words. But the positive and encouraging words of her parents empowered her to lead an extraordinary life.
In James 3, the writer uses imagery to teach us that our words tell the world something about our hearts. Just as fruit reveals the tree and water downstream reflects its source, our words reflect who we are.
Our words can destroy—but they can also strengthen, encourage, and affirm. The words of a parent who reminded us we were loved after heartbreak. The words of a mentor urging us toward the next step. The words “I love you” from a spouse that still have the power to make our day.
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker’s life reminds us of the power of encouragement. She represents the best of those who wear the uniform in service of freedom. Her extraordinary life was built on the foundation of uplifting words spoken over her.
As the people of God, we are called to use our freedom to speak words of healing and encouragement to everyone we meet.
Prayer
Dear God, today I give thanks for my freedom and the people who make it possible. Help me use my freedom to speak words of healing and encouragement to everyone. Amen.
