Our Words Can Uplift or Defile

Today I read James 3 which to me the main message was, watch what you say. James talks about how what cometh out of the mouth defileth a man. The ability to communicate with our fellow man is wonderful and a treasure. I love to just sit and talk with my wife and while playing with my daughter hear her as she babbles on explaining the details of her life to me. And yet, nothing can remove the peace from our home quite as quickly as a few ill chosen words.

Words can be wonderful and can convey love and affection for those around us. They can soothe, they can calm, they can bring in the Spirit, and they can also drive away the Spirit and destroy relationships that have lasted for years. Words convey our intent and what we are thinking about. I have often times heard of what is called the Freudian slip, which is where a person means to say one thing but actually says another because it is what is on their mind and so it takes over their speech for a moment. In most cases, the person who made the slip doesn't even realize they made it. I bring this up because when it happens it shows what that person is thinking about, their mind is not really on what they are saying but rather the other thought that slipped through.

Words are our greatest tool for conversion. We can share our testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon and of our prophet. We can invite the Spirit into our home by reading the scriptures aloud as a family. There are all these wonderful things we can do with our words. But all too often we find ourselves using our words for bad things. We tell an off color joke. We lose our cool and speak harsh words to those we love the most. Words damage and the effect of words can last a lifetime. That is what both the Savior and James meant when they said that what comes out of a man defiles us.

If we hope to be like Jesus Christ is, we need to make a concentrated effort to speak as if He were right next to us. We would not swear in His presence, I hope not anyway, we would not tell an off color joke if Jesus were the the audience. We would not say harsh things to our families if Jesus were nearby. So why do we do these things, just because we cannot see Him? He can hear us where ever we are. He is always there and is always listening to us. Let's make sure our words reflect that knowledge and that we are not saying things that would cause Him pain or cause the Spirit to leave. Let's have perfect control over what we say. Until tomorrow.