Question: What is worse than reaching into a bag of deliciously red apples only to find that the one you picked had a mouldy spot? Answer: Biting one that looked great on the outside but was worm-eaten at the core! If you have ever experienced this, I’m quite sure you were quick to dispose of the unwholesome food.
Unwholesome…a word we seldom use. By definition it means rotten. (What better word to describe the infamous apple!), and although we may not use it in our everyday language, we actually do use its meaning.
We have in our repertoire of words a barrage of unkind expressions and we are left with a choice as to how we use them. Further, when we hear a verbal assault, are we quick to participate, perhaps nod in agreement, or do we pause for a moment and consider how often we are guilty of expressing unwholesome or rotten words? To rephrase this last question: Have I thought of or spoken words that have injured, offended, or worse, ridiculed someone? Have I failed to speak kindness that would be helpful in building a person’s confidence or character? Have I failed to realize that sometimes silence is a virtue, that speaking our mind would only throw fuel on a fire?
Granted, sometimes it’s hard to remain silent, especially when the person or situation has lost our respect or confidence, and in our opinion is deserving of such ridicule. When driven by frustration, disappointment, or perhaps anger, we may choose to speak before considering any fallout our words may generate. We may forget how powerful words can be, how they can either tear down or build up.
And equally so, we may fail to realize that not only our words but the tone of our voice and body language play a role in our unwholesome attack and are detrimental in “building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). We may not realize that our expressions or laughter can be more injurious to those listening and the one speaking than to the one who is the object of our criticism and who is, in fact, in absentia.
I will confess that I have failed many times to use wholesome words when they needed to be used. But of late, I have felt a sense of conviction when I find myself in the hearing of “unwholesome talk.” This leaves me determined to become more aware of how my actions and wordage, and even my thinking can be unwholesome if I fail to respond in a godly manner. I am accountable to God for my choices and I want to honour Him in how I live my life. That must include an awareness of the choices I make in what I say, what I do, and how I think.
“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
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14
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