Words

Matthew 15:11
It is not what a person puts into his mouth that makes him unclean. It is what comes out of his mouth that makes him unclean.

Sometimes, my mom’s words pop right out of my mouth without me even realizing it. Today, I was at my daughter’s school and I heard myself telling her classmate, “If what you are going to say is not nice, please don’t say it.” You know, “If you can’t say anything nice…”

That used to make me so mad as a kid. I mean really, sometimes there’s just nothing nice to say. But, as a parent, there is wisdom in these words. Often I think the speaker is damaged more by hurtful words than the recipient is. When I hear another person complaining, berating or criticizing, I don’t always look at who is being spoken about. I look at who is speaking. In my mind, someone who says nasty things lacks judgment and self control. That’s exactly what Jesus was saying in this passage. Jesus reminded his followers that he would rather see us live a good life, than see us follow a bunch of arbitrary rules.

Jesus calls us to take the high road. We need to live out our values. We cannot say we will love our neighbor as ourselves and turn around to talk about what a big mess his marriage is.

What we say and do reflects who God is to the world. If our words and actions show love and concern, we show that God cares. If we berate and belittle, we demonstrate that God does not have the power to change human hearts.

My four year old daughter, Nora, has an amazing ability to make everyone feel like a king or queen. She can walk up to a stranger and have them smiling in a matter of minutes. Her compliments range from “l like your shirt,” to “I just love you.” She’ll smile, give you a hug and say, “I’m glad I made you feel special, that’s one of my talents.” To me, this is a great example of someone whose words portray the love and joy inside of them.

Today, I am going to monitor my speech. I am going to keep toxic words away, and instead send out words of love and grace. My speech will be peppered with genuine concern and respect.

Dear Jesus,
You hold us to a higher standard. Help me to live a clean life. Help my word and actions to show your love to those around me. When I struggle, help make me clean.

Amen