“A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” (Matthew 12:35-37 NLT)
Words are powerful tools that can be deadly when used in the wrong way. To express anger and hateful words can build walls of division that human efforts cannot dismantle. The harm we’ve done in our families with thoughtless words is immeasurable.
Why are words so impactful? Perhaps William Arthur Ward gives us a clue when he writes: “Our words reveal our thoughts.” Remember, what you think about comes about, and there’s no more obvious evidence of that than how we speak. Another way to think about that is: what we talk about comes about. What do you talk about most?
With rare exception one of our favorite topics seems to be “ME!” Many of us love it when someone asks us: “Okay, tell me about yourself!” But even as I write those words, I feel a cringe in my spirit. I don’t like to talk about myself and, if I’m honest, I don’t very often like to hear others talk about themselves. So, why mention it?
Could it be words about ourselves is a deflection of what we’re really thinking or really wanting to talk about? In the context of our Christian Faith, perhaps it’s much easier to ramble on about ourselves, even “our” faith, than discipline ourselves to learn how to turn the conversation into a series of nonthreatening questions that can steer the person with whom we’re speaking to faith in Christ.
Often, we can pick up cues from what someone says in the course of small talk. Being relatively new to my city, when I meet someone for the first time it’s not unusual for me to ask: “How long have you lived here?” If you live in a small town where everyone knows each other, when you meet a stranger, you can simply ask them: “Where are you from?” Or “Where did you grow up?” Or “What brings you to __________?””
When I worked for AFLAC, my boss had a conviction that guided him in who he would hire. He said they must pass the “D.I.L.” test – “Do I Like!” He said he didn’t care how qualified they were, if he didn’t like them, he wouldn’t hire them. That may seem pretty superficial, but if you’ve ever had to train someone you didn’t like, you quickly see the wisdom in it.
But to the point, if someone’s first impression of us is negative. If they think we’re being pushy, we’re too negative, demeaning, or in any way turn them off, we’ll never make any headway with them in terms of helping them see Jesus more clearly. Sadly, if they don’t like us, they probably won’t like our Savior. That’s why we have to keep our cool, even if they criticize, belittle, or make fun of us for our faith. We must commit them into the care of the Lord and not try to defend ourselves or Him.
Words can be agents of goodwill, of healing, when spoken with sincerity and in an appropriate setting. Telling someone you love them too much to let them go to hell can push them away or pull them in, depending on how the words are said and in what context. My sense is we can say anything to anyone if we say it in the right way.
If our heart is to obey the Lord and be submissive to His authority, He will give us the right words to speak in the right way to get the right result
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 