Genesis 46-47; Matthew 15:1-28; Psalms 19:1-14; Proverbs 4:14-19

“Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen and understand. What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.’” (Matthew 15:10-11 NIV)

I always feel the familiar tug of accountability on my heart when I read this and similar verses. We know the deal: “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile us (Matt 15:18).” I wish I could say that it is always encouragement, confidence, prayers, kind-words, love, and patience that come out of my mouth, but unfortunately I fall very short.

When I think about my words on a day to day basis, I would categorize myself as a bit of a complainer and a gossip. I’m being honest with you guys here, I am doing my best to improve, but there is a reason my FYP is filled with celebrity gossip and “spill the tea” drama accounts. While I HATE drama in my own life and desire for everyone in my direct circles to be at peace and balanced, I love the entertainment of drama in other peoples lives. Mild drama though–I can’t handle most reality TV like housewives, and I can’t stand anything that is second-hand embarrassment. But I absolutely sip the tea, and working in an organization that loves it’s fair share of gossip, I get plenty of it every day.

On top of that, I have a hard time dealing with disappointment and chaos in my own life, so as soon as I am hurt or uncertain, I have to talk it through. That means calling my mom, husband, a close friend, or going into my coworkers offices and complaining about what is going on or I’m experiencing. It’s hard for me to process something without talking it through a few times, but I realize that I put my own personal spin (as we all do), on my disappointment. This can quickly turn into complaints and needing people to “see it my way” and for me to be “right.” This can also culminate in speaking poorly about people I genuinely like or should be encouraging because I don’t like the way they handled a situation. Again, I realize I have a tendency toward these things, and I am trying to recognize them when I get into these never-ending word spirals.

I love Jesus reminder to his disciples that it isn’t what we eat that defiles us. You should still be diligent with what you’re putting into your body, but food isn’t going to make your heart spiritually unclean. Rather, the way we speak–to ourselves and others–shows us the true nature of our heart. When I look at my heart, I know there is still work to be done. But I thank God for this knowledge and understanding, because the first step is acceptance and trust that the Lord will guide us. Once we accept where we fall short, we can accept the Holy Spirit’s help in changing the state of our heart, and our words and actions will follow suit.

Today, I’d encourage you to ask God what your words share about the state of your heart. Are you harboring any bitterness? Complaints? Fear? Hatred? Jealousy? Are you choosing love, acceptance, peace, trust, and His strength? Let the Lord highlight any areas of your heart that He would like to work with you on, then ask the Lord what the first step should be. Spend a few minutes in prayer and gentle noticing. Then thank the Lord for his guidance and do it all over again tomorrow. Purifying our heart is a continuous process we will be doing for our entire lives. But it is a process the Lord will guide us down, and we need only to trust His leading.

I pray that one day I will be filled with words of encouragement, but today I will choose to say one positive before I say a negative. It will be hard at moments, even as the optimist that I am, but I trust that the Lord is guiding me and purifying my heart, and He will give me the strength to work through this process. It’s a process worth putting the time and energy into, and I can only imagine the continued peace and confident we will feel when we work with the Lord on this purification.