Those
who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their
tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.
James 1:26
I had two long bus rides on my way to Johannesburg, South
Africa. I had to go for my visa.
On the first from Vilanculos to Maputo I met a South African
girl who lives in Tofu, another area on the Mozambican coast. We chatted quite a bit about our lives and
shared frustrations about living in Mozambique.
The following night I was on a bus to Johannesburg, and as I
tried to fall asleep I heard the (Portuguese) conversation around me. They were talking about me and general
frustrations they have with white people.
I felt hurt and judged before I was even given an opportunity to prove myself. As I crossed the border I prayed, telling God
I was upset by what had happened.
His response to me was hearing them complain about white
people was no different than the night before when two girls were complaining
about Mozambicans.
This surprised me. It
wasn’t until that moment that I even considered that our conversation could
have been offensive to any hearers.
After thinking about this for 2 seconds I realized any Mozambican who
understood our conversation would probably have been offended.
So turns out, when you ask God to
reveal sin in your life to you, He does it.
Over the last five years or so -one
tiny step at a time- the Lord has taught me more about the importance of words
and the power that they carry- to bless or curse- to bring life or death, to
heal or to destroy.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but
only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it
may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29
Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth
speaks. Matthew 12:34
These types of verses make me glad
I’m naturally not too talkative…but it still doesn’t mean that I am exempt from
this problem. As Matthew 12:34 points
out, the hurtful things that come out of our mouths are really a reflection of
our hearts.
I love the picture!! This is so true and even though it doesn't feel good I thank God that He disciplines those He loves. You are so right because we all have to give an account as to every word that comes out of our mouth (Matt 12:36). I never usually think about having to give an account to the effects of the words we speak, because you're right they do have power. Thanks for speaking the truth :)
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