It was a casual, off-the-cuff statement. Probably not meant to be ANYTHING.
But then…my mind…oh, the mind.
It does what it almost always does.
It’s absolutely AMAZING (!) at making mountains out of mole-hills.
It’s a gift, really…a nightmarish strength.
And, then, just like that my peace-of-heart was disrupted, going in countless different directions, instead of just stopping and taking what was said with a little grain-of-salt…
…a bit of benefit-of-the-doubt…
…a little drop of water rolling off the back of a duck.
For a spell of a day or two, I lost a little bit of that “peace that passes all understanding.”
Yet, it had me stop and think.
And, I considered, once more, the way of words…and,
Just how toxic they can be.
Poisonous.
Venomous.
It doesn’t take many words to cause harm.
Just one word, in a certain tone of voice, spoken without thought or care, can be sickness to the soul.
Of course, the opposite is also true.
A few simple words, a positive affirmation, a timely well-done, a few edifying and encouraging statements bring LIFE to the inner parts.
Healing to the hurting.
A smile to the downcast spirit.
So, I had to stop and wonder, how have my words been of late?
Judgmental?
Critical?
Harsh?
Negative?
Sarcastic?
Contradictory?
Snappy?
Complaining?
Gossipy?
Have I been granting others the “benefit of the doubt” that I desire?
I’m quite afraid, I don’t have the best track record.
The saddest part of all of this is that Jesus made it clear about the way of words.
What comes out of the mouth is what is in the heart.
The words we speak are the mirrors of our soul.
We’re all pretty good at micromanaging our images………………………………..for a season.
Then, all of a sudden, something slips out the mouth, and my initial thought is, “Where did that come from?”
“What just happened?”
The Spirit of the Lord is quick to remind me that it came from deep down inside.
It’s a representation of what’s really in that heart of mine.
An indication of a deeper spiritual condition.
Toxic words = Toxic heart.
In which case, I need a soul-detox!
Quite frequently.
One author I read recently made this statement:
Your words matter. If they aren’t God-words, then your “country of origin” is exposed as that of this world, for they are certainly not of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Makes sense. We can certainly tell when someone we meet is from a different part of the country, can’t we?
So, the same holds true of our language. If it doesn’t sound like something Jesus might say, then it’s a clear indication of where our current place of abiding is: the world, the flesh, or the enemy’s Kingdom of Darkness.
Ouch!
So, how to change?
How do I detox the heart?
Sadly, there are no smoothies, no particular diets, no fasts that accomplish what assists the body in detoxification…
Or are there?
How about blending up some smoothies of love, kindness, goodness, self-control? If we fill our minds with God-words, those will make their way to our heart, and what comes out of the mouth will be an overflow?
How about fasting from everything we want to say? Not everything we speak is edifying or beneficial. Some things even fit the worthless column. Not everything is true, right, noble, pure, lovely, or honorable. Not everything is praiseworthy or of good report. Check your words before they leave your mouth. They say more about what’s in your heart than they do about the person or situation you want to say something snarky about…
How about guarding your heart (dieting) from choosing to listen to anything that fits the list above? Set guards over your ears. Find ways to walk away from conversations that are toxic. Or, better yet, be the bigger person, and turn the conversation to one that is uplifting…and healing…and PEACE-FILLED.
Our mouths have such power.
I’m choosing to do the above, so I can be a peace-maker; as opposed to a peace-faker, or a peace-breaker.
And, this is my prayer:
Let the words of my mouth…
put a smile on your face, O God!
Psalm 19:14