Our words and what they reveal

Our words are huge.

They are a big deal.

We say things like, “I was just kidding”, or “I didn’t mean that”, but our words reveal our hearts.

Jesus said it this way in Luke 6:45, “out of the heart the mouth speaks.”

No matter how hard we try, our words reveal what we are thinking inside.  Our attitudes, both good and bad.  

As I am writing, I am thinking about a couple of people in my life who have lost the governors on their tongues.

They say, “Whatever is on their mind,” or “whatever is on their heart.”

(Just as a side note – it is interesting to me that when you “say what is on your mind,” to the person who “says what is on their mind,” they are easily offended.

In his book The Secret Life of Pronouns, social psychologist James Pennebaker has spent years researching the significance of our words.

With a team of grad students, he developed a sophisticated computer program that analyzes what our words say about us.

Based on his research, Pennebaker claims that the words we generate over a lifetime are like "fingerprints."

Even small words, or what he calls "stealth words"—like pronouns (such as I, you, we, they) and prepositions (to, for, over)—"broadcast the kind of people we are."

Based on his research, we don't randomly choose our words; instead, words reveal the condition of our hearts. Or as Pennebaker says, words act like "powerful tools to excavate people's thoughts, feelings, motivations, and connections with others."

One of the major, major ways that we can control our words is walking in the Spirit.  With the Holy Spirit in us, we have a boundary, a fence, a control on the words that we choose to say.

That is so important.

I have noticed that the closer I am walking to the Lord, the more apt I am to watch what I say.

Psalms 34:13 tells us to “keep our tongues from speaking evil”.

In other words, when it doubt, stay silent.

Good stuff for a Tuesday.