Eat Good Fruit

Words come towards us from many sources in our lives.  When we are little, we are soothed by the words of our mothers and fathers.  As we grow, we want to be around the voices of other little children in play.  When we are teens, we surround ourselves with friends, music and entertainment.  As we get older, we look for companions and then heart-linked friends.  Words bind us together and keep us one in purpose, but words can also be destructive.

I'm in shock at some of the words I have heard exchanged even between family members.  When I was eleven, I was at a friend's house and heard her father come in and use a curse word in conversation to us.  I stared in disbelief!  I had never in my life heard an adult cross the line and use such a word in the presence of a child.  This friend's older brother spoke back in equal fashion.  I was doubly shocked!  They weren't arguing, it was just normal conversation.  I would never have dreamed that a child would speak like that in the presence of a father!  Now today when I'm in the grocery store, the words that I hear between teens is unbelievable.  If I would have ever dared to drop such words in conversation, I would have at least whispered! 

We simply forget the power of words and throw them around like they mean absolutely nothing.  Proverbs 18:21 tells us that "the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."  I love a good bowl of fruit, but the fruit should be ripe, sweet and firmly textured.  When a fruit has gone bad, I want nothing at all to do with it.  Everything about rotten fruit is repulsive from texture, to smell, to taste, to the flies that are attracted--even the look of it turns my stomach.  And then there is fruit that is inedible simply because it is not yet ripe.  The timing of a word is as important as the construction of it.  Since the fruit of our words is most often evident within the home, we should consider the impact therein.  I will say things around my husband that no one else on the planet will ever hear me say.  He knows the exact way I feel about people and situations.  But this also means that our children are privy to this information, as well.  They see and hear me when I speak.  I can speak words that give them sustenance and life, or I can speak words that bring decay and flies into our home.  Life or death.

In our friendships, I can sit around and talk without much thought or I can engage my friends in conversation that has meaning and value.  It is my opinion that we need to give much attention to the words that we use.  Ephesians 4:29 states it clearly: "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."  As I mature in the Lord, I find myself regretting my tongue more than ever.  Speech is a gift, but when used in an unwise fashion, it brings grief.  I have spent hours re-evaluating my words to make sure that I have not been unwise or unkind.  I shouldn't get bogged down in past conversations; rather, I should take more care in the conversations to come.

I pray that my words will bring life to those who hear.  I ask for the Lord's help in the fruit of my conversations.  I do all that I can to serve sweet fruit to my family, instead of rotten, fly-ridden mess.  As your week progresses, take note of the words that escape your mouth.  If you are uttering words of life, to God be the glory!  But if you find that the words you use leave a bitter or rotten taste on your tongue, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in conversation, and be a little slower to say what comes to mind. 

Eat good fruit.