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You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.  A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.  But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. Matthew 12: 34-36

What if everything we have ever said were to be played back for all to hear? Would that give you cause for concern?

I find it interesting that the beginning of this passage starts with ‘brood of vipers,’ snakes. My least favorite thing, yet a perfect picture of gossip and speaking harsh and hurtful words. I recently experienced some words that I spoke come back to bite me and it wasn’t pleasant, but thankfully it turned out to be an opportunity to sincerely apologize and begin a new relationship.

In this passage Jesus reminds us that what we say reveals what is in our hearts. So in order to change we have to do more than just clean up our speech. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with a new attitude and correct motives, then our speech will be cleansed at its source.

That’s what happened in my situation. Words that I spoke to one person got back to another, which was hurtful. She felt isolated, talked about, and wanted nothing to do with either of us. When this was brought to my attention I also received a healthy amount of conviction from the Holy Spirit. I knew I needed to call this girl, sincerely apologize, and promise never to let it happen again. It was quite humbling, but it was what needed to be done to get my heart right and correct the situation.

So I made the call much to the suprise of the girl I had talked about. We talked through many things and thankfully she accepted my apology. I told her that I would never do that again because I didn’t want to ever cause her that kind of pain again.

Since then our relationship has continued to improve and when I find myself in situations where she might come up in conversation, I’m reminded of my promise and change the subject.

I’m grateful for God’s words of correction in my life. They are always needed and done with the intention of refining me into the woman of God He created me to be. When words are spoken from a heart of grace and love, there is nothing to fear when they are played back.