Written by Isaiah Doll
Photo by Erin Speed
It’s been an incredible night. You and your friends have just left the restaurant after an hour-and-a-half of laughter-filled conversation and honest life discussion. Now you’re taking a group walk down the pier, enjoying even more time together and truly living your best life.
…Except something is off. You stop, and your friends continue on without you, unaware of your halting. You take a good, long look at the silver cross necklace you have hanging from your neck. And you realize you’ve been spitting on it all night long. The abundance of curse words coming out of your mouth. The endless gossip. The hilarious jokes whose cost meant tearing up somebody behind their back. And the inappropriate comments one of your friends kept making – and you didn’t copy him, but you sure did laugh.
Do we ever do this to ourselves? Ever take a moment to analyze the things we say? Because they contain far greater an effect than most people are aware of. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Did you read that right? Not evil and good. Not sadness and happiness. Death and life. If that doesn’t give you pause, I’d recommend re-reading that verse until you seriously understand it.
Guys, words don’t just have the ability to alter emotions or sound pretty. God spoke the universe into existence. Ezekiel prophesied over the dry bones, and they came to life. So many events and characters in the Bible reflect the importance of using words to God’s glory.
Do we also reflect that? Tragically enough, the answer is usually no. I’ve heard Christians do each and every one of the things mentioned in the story above. And before I continue, let me say that yes, I too am guilty of failing to properly represent Christ. I’ve been a bad example for those around me as well.
But that isn’t what the point of this article is – to condemn people. It’s to help them realize the enormity of the reality that is the misuse of words, and to encourage them to do better (because we all can)!
No one expects perfection on that, not even the Lord, because it’s the heart that matters. The Father desires for us to try. And we may be awful at first. The filters we try to put up may seem to fail every time we get into a conversation. But the longer we stick with it, and the more we ingrain into our minds the importance of using our words to glorify the Father, the more we will improve. After all, nobody can run a marathon just because they one day decide to try really hard. That takes practice, and it’s by practice that we too will mature with our words.
This is ultimately how those around us will know we are Christians. By the words we don’t say. By the jokes we don’t laugh at. And no, that doesn’t mean being this stone-cold, long-faced Christian who’s all legalistic. It means taking steps to consecrate your life and make it holy, just as the One who created you is holy.
Calling yourself a Christian doesn’t save you. Neither does going to church every week or helping out at a homeless shelter. You’re saved by a sincere faith in Christ and a life that, to the best of your ability, reflects who He is.
Don’t get caught up in the whole “I can do whatever I want because I have grace” lie. We still have to work to better ourselves. We still have to work to let the light of Christ shine brighter and brighter through us. Yes, we will mess up at times, and that’s when we need grace. As a mercy, not an excuse. And as His light illuminates more and more of our lives, we will witness it changing everything we once knew about ourselves – from the things we do to the way we think, and from the way we think to the things we say.
