I need to continually watch that my words do not sound critical. I like to think that I am exercising “judicious evaluation” (Merriam-Webster online dictionary) as a carryover from my teaching years. However, if my heart is sitting in judgment then no matter how positively I try to couch it, my words are going to sound critical and judgmental. Matthew 12:34 reminds us that the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
In his sermon on 2/6/22, our pastor, Aaron Duvall, talked about the phrase “speaking the truth in love”. Too often that phrase is used as a precursor by Christians when they want to give negative criticism to someone else. Pastor Duvall questioned why this phrase is our “go to” when we feel a need to point out something negative rather than when we want to focus on encouraging others. What would happen if we spoke the truth in love to encourage others and build them up rather than to criticize or rebuke them?
Today I am going to be more mindful of speaking encouragement rather than criticism. However, first I need to take inventory of my heart more carefully. Is my heart filled with love, gratitude and encouragement?
Jesus, may my heart be cleansed from criticism and may encouragement flow freely from my lips today. Amen
