“For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12: 34b, 36-37 CSB

Our verses today are words that Jesus spoke. The first thing Jesus tells us is that our mouths speak from the overflow of what’s in our hearts. If our hearts are filled with the Holy Spirit, our words to others should be kind, encouraging, and helpful.

Sometimes when someone is mean to us, we want to say mean words back to them. But, if we speak quickly and carelessly, speaking words that are hurtful or mean or harsh, maybe we need to look at our hearts. We may need to pause before we answer and ask Jesus to help us so that our words are not “careless” or hurtful but will be “careful” and kind.

When my kids were young, they had WWJD wrist bands. Do they still have those? Do you know what WWJD stands for? If not, it stands for What Would Jesus Do? It was a way to remind themselves to try to treat others as Jesus would, even those that weren’t as nice to be around. Instead of speaking carelessly, they would see the band and think first, What Would Jesus Do? It helped them to be kinder and speak from their heart.

This week talk to your parents, how do you think your words have been over the past few days? Are they kind and helpful? Or careless and hurtful? Sometimes everyone has difficulty being nice. We know that Jesus will forgive us when we ask him to. But we still need to pause and take time to think about our words before we speak. We want others to see Jesus in us.

Blessings as you learn to speak from your heart and let others see Jesus in you!