It’s a picture I’ll never forget…
Flipping through a Christian magazine, I turned to a picture of a husband and wife fighting fiercely across their breakfast table.
The anger seemed palpable as they bickered back and forth…completely unaware of a microphone suspended above them.
It was a powerful image, but the title hit me extra hard as a not-very-content young wife.
How does your marriage sound?
Imagine…
What if a hidden microphone were recording every exchange in your house? at your job? in your marriage? What if someone threatened to play those recordings back on the local nightly news? How much would you pay to have the tapes destroyed?
The thought of having to give account for our words is enough to make most women break out in a cold sweat! Yet that is exactly what the Bible says we will have to do one day:
“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Matthew 12:36-37
No Such Thing As a Careless Word
Wow. Does that hit you like it hits me? Although I am saved by grace and I am bound for heaven, the Bible says I will nevertheless be held accountable for the way I speak and the things I say. Not only for those words meant to hurt and cut, but also those careless, off-the-cuff comments I blurt out without thinking.
My thoughtless sarcasm. Pointless babbling. Those little zingers at others people’s expense. The white lies and embroidered truths.
They’re all on the record.
Our words are that important. They aren’t just bits of fluff and stuff floating around, harmless flotsam left over from frustration or the careless flapping of the jaw. They count. And we must take responsibility for our words if we ever hope to be changed for the better.
[Excerpt from Having a Mary Spirit]
More Verses on Watching Our Words
Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose. Proverbs 18:21 (MSG) Click To Tweet
When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. Proverbs 10:19
He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin. Proverbs 13:3 Click To Tweet
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. James 1:19 Click To Tweet
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. James 3:2
A Life-Long Prayer
Because I am a woman of many, many words, I’ve memorized Proverbs 10:19 and James 1:19 from the list above to help keep me in line.
But this is the verse that I make my daily prayer:
I’m so glad God is able to help us tame our tongues, for He alone is able to change our hearts.
Take the coal from the altar (Isaiah 6:6), Lord Jesus! Cauterize our lips so that we honor you – and others! – not only with our lives, but with words that come from a heart that has been purified by You.
I’d love to hear from you…What tips do you have for watching your words?