JULY 17, 2013
What
We Talk About
Read: Psalm
19
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable
in
Your sight, O Lord. —Psalm
19:14
Perhaps
you are familiar with the saying, “Great minds discuss ideas; average
minds
discuss events; small minds discuss people.” Admittedly, there are ways
to
speak of people that can honor them. But this saying highlights our darker
experiences. In a world of ever-present media—social and professional—we are
continually confronted with people’s lives at a level of intimacy that can be
inappropriate.
Worse,
this tidal wave of personal information about others could become grist
for our
conversational mills to the point that gossip becomes the norm—and not
just
about the rich and famous. People in our workplaces, churches, neighborhoods,
and families can also be targets of sharp tongues and feel the pain of
discussions
that never should have happened.
How
can we escape our inclination to use words to hurt others? By recognizing that
the ultimate Hearer of our words is God, who longs for us to be better than
that. With
the psalmist, we can pray, “Let the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart
be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord” (Ps. 19:14). When we seek to please God with
our conversations
about others, we honor Him. With His help, we can glorify Him
through what we
talk about.
Forgive me, Father, for the times my speech
crosses the line of that which is appropriate.
Help me to understand the power of words,
and give me the wisdom to use them well.
It is better to bite your tongue than to make a biting remark.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
