My devotional today was a really good reminder about keeping a reign on my tongue. I saw this t-shirt yesterday that said "Your workout is my warm-up" and it made me smile because I have been trying to lose weight....I don't know why, but sometimes I am drawn to things that are sarcastic or sassy because I find them funny for the shock value in them. My devotional reminded me that the tongue is one of the most powerful muscles in our body...usually I am aware of this and use a filter with people even though I am highly opinionated. I have noticed, however, that my own family gets an earful many times when I am attempting to persuade them to see things from my point of view. I resort to my strategic and tactical word warehouse and pull out words of sarcasm or belittlement to make my point. Afterwards, I wish my words had been much FEWER and a lot more uplifting. And sometimes, I EVEN HAVE TO APOLOGIZE....sadly, the door to the apology warehouse is a little rusty.
I think it is also becoming increasingly challenging to use self-control with our vocabulary....not just to refrain from using certain kinds of words, but to choose words that are uplifting and encouraging. Our culture tends to value blunt and sarcastic expressions and our social media then becomes saturated with these kinds of expressions as well. I saw this verse and it gave me things to think about....
I tend to think about being judged by my actions, but I seldom consider that when I speak that IS an action. This verse gives a very strong emphasis to our CAREFUL use of words. It's not that we shouldn't speak, but we should have some guards posted where our words are formed, shaped, and spoken...this is not just the mouth, but also the mind and the heart. Just Sayin' :)
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