Daily Devotional

SAY WHAT?

by Barbara Head on January 14, 2021

“...In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us”  Titus 2:8

One of baseball’s legends, Yogi Berra, has become almost as famous for his “paradoxical aphorisms” as he is for his 18 seasons with the Yankees, winning 10 World Series rings. Here are some you might have heard:

“It ain’t over till it’s over;” “It’s like déjà vu all over again;” “Even Napoleon had his Watergate;” “He hits from both sides of the plate. He’s amphibious.” “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” “Always go to other peoples’ funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours.” “The future ain’t what it used to be.” “Baseball’s ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.”

For the record, Berra, who passed away in 2015, is quoted as saying, “I never said most of the things I said.” While we may chuckle at the contradictions in these declarations, I can’t help wondering how often my own speech fails to consistently align with truth and clarity. Our words are a reflection of the state of our heart and mind. Unfortunately, social media has given a platform to people who use anonymity as a screen that shields them from accountability. Sometimes words are couched as thinly veiled attempts at humor when actually they are cruel and hateful. They may include unfounded conspiracy theories that cause hurtful outcomes for those targeted and occasionally for the speakers themselves.

But perhaps even worse are those who tweet insulting, judgmental “assessments” of others with hashtags boldly identifying themselves, yet when backlash follows, they seek to hide behind excuses and denials. For example, “I wrote that after I was prescribed a new medication;” or “Those words are taken out of context;” or “I apologize because that’s not who I am!” St. Matthew would beg to differ. In Matt. 12:34 he says ”...how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Do my spoken and written words identify me as a Christ follower? This scripture is a reminder that the issue is less about a way of talking than it is about a way of being.

May we so speak that we can be unashamed to stand by what comes out of our mouths, applying the principles of “wholesome” and “helpful” speech called for in Ephesians 4:29. We may occasionally get the grammar wrong, but let’s not get the intent wrong.

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