Verbal Vomit
Recently, the devotion book my teenager and I read from every morning said this: "Treat your friends and family to a vocabulary void of verbal vomit; Let each word be seasoned with life and hope." Beside noticing the creative use of the letter "v," ask yourself "Is verbal vomit present in my vocabulary?" Sad to say, we can easily recognize the vomit in other's speech but often fail to acknowledge it in our own. Consider these hard-hitting biblical reprimands to the verbal vomiter and the sample comment following each.
- Proverbs 4:24/8:13: "I [the Lord] hate...corrupt speech." ("Are those flashing lights behind me? Oh blankety-blank!")
- Proverbs 15:2/14:3 "...the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness...and...it becomes a rod that beats him." ("Who are you to pass out advice; I can figure it out myself!")
- 1 Peter 2:1: "...get rid of all unkind speech." ("You're so dumb when it comes to following directions! Why don't you just give me the map!")
- Proverbs 11:9 "...with their words, the godless destroy their friends." ("...You know [said in a tone of self-righteousness], I told her, if she doesn't get her child under control, I'm going to have to say something.")
- Proverbs 12:6+18: "The cutting remarks of the wicked are like a murderous ambush." ("Oh girlfriend, I see you're late once again...always putting other people out...tisk tisk")
- Proverbs 15:1+4: "...harsh words make tempers flare and a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit." ("Why didn't you buy milk? I told you 3 times we needed milk." The response: "I didn't get any of your texts, and besides, why don't you leave me alone and go buy it yourself!")
Ouch! Do any of these examples ring true with you? Well, there's hope. Try these verses on for size:
- Proverbs 12:6/10:21/11:9/12:13: "...the words of the godly save lives, encourage many, rescue the righteous and provide an escape from trouble."
- Proverbs 15:1/16:21+24: "A gentle answer deflects anger, is persuasive and is healthy for the body."
- Proverbs 17:7/17:27/18:20 "Wise words are fitting for a ruler, provide even-tempered understanding and satisfy like a good meal."
The bible is full of positive consequences for positive words and negative consequences for negative words. Don't let verbal vomit dominate your vocabulary. Instead, season your words with life and hope.