At an early age I learned that what I said had consequences. I noticed that when I or my sisters back talked or said hurtful things to each other, we were punished. When I was a teenager, my older sister and her friends called each other “female dog” in playful voices and then my sister would turn around and call me. I really disliked being called a “female dog” in jest. I don’t know why that was a thing in the early 2000’s but it was. It felt like I was being attacked and I didn’t like it.
In college I experimented with swearing to make my, then, boyfriend happy. (Really that should have been a clue that something wasn’t right in that relationship). But really, it felt wrong. The words would come out of my mouth like marbles, heavy and, while slick, falling with discordant clacks.
In James 3:9-10 it says,
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. And so blessing and cursing came pouring out of the same mouth.
Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!
I’ve never felt right about swearing and a big part of that is how I was raised. But another reason is because I feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit when I swear.
Why does it matter? Well, what comes out of our mouth is often what we take in. Movies, books, music, friends, and family. All of these things affect our minds and can cause moods and words that we don’t intend. I really enjoy reading books and escaping into the worlds created by authors. But I notice that I’ll start to feel angsty if the character is angsty, I’ll start speaking in an accent if I’m reading via an audiobook set in Ireland. I’ll feel anxious and scared when I’m reading a thriller. I tell myself that I’m learning and gaining knowledge from these books. In a way I am. But I know those things are not always good for me to rest in and that’s what will send me back to the Bible. James 3:17,
“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
The best knowledge and wisdom that I have been given has come from God and not the books I read. Through things like House Church and devotional time I have come to understand so much more about the world we live in.
This wasn’t meant to be a devotion about being careful about the media you consume on a daily basis. But that must be what God wanted me to write about today. Take a minute and think about your mood after you watch a reality show or how you react to stressful situations after listening to secular music. Are the words you say and reactions you have point to your love of Christ? Or are they emulating what you just watched and listened to?
Bethany Thomas is the Publicity Coordinator and a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a daughter of God, a wife, and a dog mom. When not writing for the blog, you are most likely to find her reading a fantasy novel or crafting at her home in Sapulpa, OK.
Photo by Crissy Jarvis on Unsplash