When last have you reminded yourself of your image-bearing reality as you press forward with life? In those moments when you "don't sound Christian" or in those moments that you "had to shelf your Christianity for a minute"?
Testy moments happen in each of our lives, and we are all imperfect beings, so there's no indictment - however, there's a call to reflect on our choice of words in the moment because we're not just representing ourselves in a given moment - we're representing God.
Simple, yet major examples of instances where we need to exercise deeper thinking include the use of foul language, swearing, how we communicate with people on a daily basis, and even how we speak to ourselves; God is concerned with all of the above and presented us with guidelines in His word pertaining to these things (Colossians 4:6).
However, how committed are we to improving the way we speak not only to others but ourselves? We sometimes find ourselves moving towards justification of these acts rather than acknowledgement and repentance. So, we do that without recognizing that we're working against our own spiritual health and growth.
Truth is, life, especially in these past three years, has seen its fair share of difficulties or challenges, causing anger, hurt, frustration, disappointment, and more. Not even just on a global scale, but also in many inter-personal interactions. Nevertheless, there's a difference between stepping into the realm of degrading speech and acts as a temporary action that is followed by repentance and heart-work, versus stepping into it and staying there.
Where exactly would you say you are? Let's remind ourselves of some truths:
1. God asks us to keep our speech pure, wholesome and to use our speech to uplift each other and to give thanks.
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth (Colossians 3:8)
Dirty stories, foul talk and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, remind each other of God’s goodness and be thankful! (Ephesians 5:4).
2. What we say not only affects our lives but is indicative of what we believe.
The tongue has the power of life and death.(Proverbs 18:21).
How can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him (Matthew 12:34, 35).
Proverbs 16:24 “Kind words are like honey–sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.”
3. We have the power to influence others with our speech and a responsibility to use that to win souls for the kingdom.
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity (1 Timothy 4:12).
They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Revelations 12:11).
When we take note of these points, it becomes even more apparent that God doesn't just care about the worship music we sing, the amazing sermons we preach, the food that we give to the poor and the number of deliverance sessions we lead. He cares about our entire being and what marinates inside us. He cares about our hearts and the fruits that we display on a daily basis, not from a place of ultimate judgment, but rather as a reminder that:
We are His standard and image-bearers and should talk and walk accordingly
He wants to journey with us as we consciously embark on a deeper healing journey
We are all but imperfect humans serving a perfect God, who have access to grace and mercy and can benefit from that in the midst of repentance.
It's not too late to fix these things about ourselves, or at least begin deliberate work on ourselves.
This piece has been written, not from a place of accusation or condemnation, as we all are battling our own flaws and challenges. Instead, we pray that this nudges you into your own time of reflection and healing so that your spirit can be rejuvenated as you press forward into 2024.
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