❀ ❁ January 13th ❀ ❁
“But I say to
you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to
judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable
to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell
of fire.” Matthew 5:22
Several years ago I was having lunch at a deli with my
husband, just before I left for a spiritual retreat. In the booth next to us, two gentlemen were
talking about the mother of one of the men.
They were remarking that this lady, “Never had a bad thing to say about
anyone.” I remember slumping down into
my seat, thinking that my husband was not going to be able to say that about
me.
How easy is it for us to say negatives things about one another? In Judaism there is the concept of lashon hara, "the evil tongue." There is a story oft repeated about gossip. A woman goes to her rabbi to repent for talking about others in the village. The rabbi tells her to take a feather pillow to the top of the mountain and tear it open. She is to allow the feathers to be blown by the wind throughout the area, and return to the rabbi several days later. When the rabbi returns, he asks her to go and gather each and every one of the feathers. The woman tells him tearfully this is impossible. The rabbi replies, "Yes, as it is impossible to undo all the damage you have done with your words."
When we talk about others, it's as if we are adding to our own baggage in so many ways. Those around us are unsure if they should confide in us. We make ourselves look bad when speak poorly of others. After a while, we are unable to look in the eyes those other people we speak ill of. We wonder just what they are saying about us. It becomes an unbearable burden.
Perhaps we are surrounded by those who are "negative" and spend their time talking about others. Perhaps this is a long-time habit for us. But we must rise above this, even being bold enough to stop a turn in any conversation when it takes a turn toward ungodly speech. We use prayer and Scripture to begin to tame our speech. We will begin to wince when we hear others gossiping or judging. Our tolerance for "the evil tongue" will decrease. And as with any other habit, we must fill the void left in its absence by something positive. We will find ourselves speaking well of others, even the difficult ones... or saying nothing about them at all!
How easy is it for us to say negatives things about one another? In Judaism there is the concept of lashon hara, "the evil tongue." There is a story oft repeated about gossip. A woman goes to her rabbi to repent for talking about others in the village. The rabbi tells her to take a feather pillow to the top of the mountain and tear it open. She is to allow the feathers to be blown by the wind throughout the area, and return to the rabbi several days later. When the rabbi returns, he asks her to go and gather each and every one of the feathers. The woman tells him tearfully this is impossible. The rabbi replies, "Yes, as it is impossible to undo all the damage you have done with your words."
When we talk about others, it's as if we are adding to our own baggage in so many ways. Those around us are unsure if they should confide in us. We make ourselves look bad when speak poorly of others. After a while, we are unable to look in the eyes those other people we speak ill of. We wonder just what they are saying about us. It becomes an unbearable burden.
Perhaps we are surrounded by those who are "negative" and spend their time talking about others. Perhaps this is a long-time habit for us. But we must rise above this, even being bold enough to stop a turn in any conversation when it takes a turn toward ungodly speech. We use prayer and Scripture to begin to tame our speech. We will begin to wince when we hear others gossiping or judging. Our tolerance for "the evil tongue" will decrease. And as with any other habit, we must fill the void left in its absence by something positive. We will find ourselves speaking well of others, even the difficult ones... or saying nothing about them at all!
Pray for grace to see where your speak is less than encouraging and notice when you say things you shouldn't. What do you say about others when they are not around? In what ways has your speech caused problems in your life?
Ask Him to help you clean your speech and keep your mouth from gossip or other ungodly words. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill your speech today.
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