When You Speak, You Show Where Your Heart Is
Luke 6:44-45 Amplified Bible (AMP)
44 For each tree is known and identified by its own
fruit; for figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor is a cluster of grapes
picked from a bramblebush. 45 The upright (honorable,
intrinsically good) man out of the good treasure [stored] in his heart produces
what is upright (honorable and intrinsically good), and the evil man out of the
evil storehouse brings forth that which is depraved (wicked and intrinsically
evil); for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks.
When I worked for a particular company some years back, we
had an incident where it was learned that during meetings involving the
supervisors and management that they would sit and openly discuss who they did
not like and why, and what they intended or intended not to do, to those
individuals. It had become so bad, individuals
were being set up and talked about, so much that it started to leak out of what
was consider the sacred walls of those meetings to the individuals that were
being pinpointed. When things came to
light and individuals began to quit and confront those involved, the phrase, “we
didn’t mean it that way” was often used, or “I didn’t mean or say that”. It was a sad fact that many individuals knew
they could no longer work for these individuals because they knew that the
words they spoke were the truth of what was in their hearts towards them.
Have
you ever been in a situation like this, when someone said some nasty things to
you, ran you down to someone else, or hurt you with their words and then said,
I didn’t mean it? I think we all have
been there, and many of us have even been in a place when we have been the
offender. Proverbs 10: 19 reminds us “when words are many, sin is not absent.” It is inevitable whether we want to take
responsibility or not, that when we speak, we let people know what is in our
heart, and when we talk or speak a lot that sin has more of a chance of being a
part of that conversation or communication
process. As we understand often times,
we do not want to own up to our words and actions and admit that we said it and
just apologize and begin trying to repair the breach, instead we would rather,
make excuses and try to make light of being found out, and the truth of our
heart being exposed. I will never
forget, I was going through some things many years ago, and a true friend of
mine, said, “Lisa, it is time you stop feeling sorry for yourself, and get over
this.” She told me she rather say it to
me, then anyone else. Although at the
time it stung, I respected her for not running me down to others or saying that
and then coming back and saying she didn’t mean it. Later she told me she wanted me to live and
not let the individual that was causing me harm to have control over my life
and keep me from living a happy and full life. I respect her courage, because
her words, although hard at the time came from a place of love and need for her
friend to keep it moving.
We
have to begin to look at what we say and how we say things. We have to begin to also think about how we
desire people to communicate with us.
You see too many of us are looking for people to speak well of us, and
shower us with flowery words and give us high praise and compliments, when we
are running people down with our words and saying things that are detrimental
and negative about others in a hateful disrespectful manner. As I told my son the other day, what you sow,
even in your words, will come back on you and you will surely eat the fruit of
your venomous, poisonous, negative words about and to others. Yes even when they do not know or find out
about them, remember God hears all, He never sleeps or slumbers; God can hear
our every thoughts and knows even the very intent of our hearts. Many of us do not have a clue that many of
the things we are experiencing are a direct result of what is in our hearts
that has surfaced in our words. Take
care to speak life and speak what you want people to truly know about you and
what resides in your heart. If you
cannot speak life, or you do not want what is in your heart to be revealed
maybe silence is a better option until you can get your heart in a better place;
a place where God lives!
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