10 And He called the people to Him and said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” 13 He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to Him, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 And He said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” ~ Matthew 15:10-20
I’ve recently started getting back into selling on WhatNot. WhatNot is a streaming site where you sell items live. One thing that I’ve noticed is that people no longer know how to communicate with the most basic human decency. For instance, if they don’t like a price, instead of simply moving on, they tell you very rude things in the chat. If they ask to see something, and you show them, and they aren’t interested in anything, they simply leave the stream instead of simply saying thank you and then moving on. It’s these simple little things that used to just be common and basic communication. Why do these things matter? Because how you treat people, whether in person or online, matters. It tells the world the kind of person you are.
How you treat others directly defines who you are. If you are someone who feels they don’t need to treat people with basic respect, that becomes like a spark that can cause an internal fire. Your mouth is a great way to test your heart. What you say to people, or even in private, comes directly from your heart. Therefore, if you are quick to anger, that’s going to show up in how you communicate with others. If you are an ungrateful person, that’s going to show up in how you communicate with others. Our words, almost always, go before our actions. They’re not just empty phrases. Meaningless letters put together in a sentence. No, they hold weight. They matter.
Jesus went as far as to say that not only do our words have the power to corrupt us, but they are so important that we will be judged based on what we say.
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.
Matthew 12:36-37
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch What You Say.