STICKY SITUATION

I didn't intend for my worn-daily athletic shoes to fill their creases with dirt and pitch. All I did was notice the pine cone and twig debris under the evergreens along the backyard fence. I took a bucket, walked through the mess, and picked up all but the underlying needles. Those would have to wait for another day, when I had a rake and more energy.

I dumped the “collection” in the garbage bin, but as I walked over the driveway, I became aware of a “muck-muck” noise and a sense of stickiness under my shoes. You probably guessed. My under-the-tree task added tree sap and tree junk to the bottom of my athletic shoes. No way would I walk in those over the house rug—so off the shoes came. I hoped that as they dried out, I could pry out the muck with a sharp instrument (okay, my “compass” from high school trig math days—back when the “dangerous” pointed side wasn't yet outlawed).

I didn't have perfect results of “sticky-ickies” removal, but at least my “yard shoes” are back in business, but won't be getting near the sticky tree debris. I guess I could be clever and pull plastic bags over my shoes. Or else use some really antique tennies now delegated to yard-work and not allowed in the house....

I wonder how often, instead of picking up pitch under trees, we let down our guards and pick up the mucky, sticky, unwelcome conversational values of our non-Christian world. I remember my shock and disappointment when a young woman who grew up in a Christian home lost her cool and called me a vulgar name. Where did she acquire such gutter language? Not, that I know, from her Jesus-following parents. But I know she had a second life away from the God-honoring values of her upbringing. It had a screen and a keyboard, and from it, vulgar language and values likely entered her eyes and heart.

The apostle Paul knew how culture clashed with Jesus-centered values. He saw it at every city where he visited to evangelize, but it seems he pulled out all the stops of reproof when he wrote to the church at Ephesus:

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths.” (Ephesians 4:29)

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” (Ephesians 4:31)

“Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place.” (5:4)

The apostle's alternative mouth-style was this: “thanksgiving” (Ephesians 5:4).

Granted, there are times when we need to address tough topics, but it's wrong to resort to the world's lazy and mucky language. It needs to go where my collection of pitch-drenched needles and twigs went: the disposal bin. Which is to say: ditch negativity, raise the integrity level of everyday conversation, including the virtual connections. Aim for words that are “helpful for building others up according to their needs....Be kind and compassionate” (Ephesians 4:32).

If tempted to use the world's coarse vocabulary, think of the pitch-drenched needle debris I scooped up from under the trees. A spoonful of those....ugh!

Trash talk

Oh, my, I thought as I listened to students in the busy halls of our town’s local high school. The air was blue—or should I say black?—with crude slang and irreverent uses of God’s name.  I felt sad for Christian teens, who had to live with that every day. I have the same sad-and-angry reaction in various public places when I heard language that disrespected or demeaned people or my Lord.  And then the pointing finger turned around.  Had I ever sinned with my mouth? Had I  verbalized thoughts fit only for the trash?

I appreciated how Priscilla Shirer dealt with that problem in her book The Resolution for Women (B&H, 2011). She quoted Luke 6:45 (Amplified):

For out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks.
Our mouths, she said, are “only a barometer” that divulge whether we’re “immersed in humility or surrendered in obedience to the Lord.” What we say can also reveal if we’re “housing a malnourished spirit that stubbornly refuses to yield to the wisdom of God’s own Word.” A condensed version of her tests for a troubled mouth:

*Quick to offer opinions in any conversations?  Shows: haughtiness, need to impress or be at the center of attention.

*Constantly critical or demeaning? Shows: insecurity or uncertainty about your inherent value; angry, judgmental heart.
*Quarrel with spouse or divisive with others? Shows: lack of deep peace, need for Christ’s grace in strengthening relationships.
*Gossipy? Shows: failure to see troubled people as needing support, prayer, companionship.
*Negative (doubtful, skeptical) outlook? Shows: failure to trust God’s ability to handle wisely the details and timing of your life.

In all of these, the heart is a reservoir—a holding tank of the essence of who we are. The words that spill out reveal who we really are. If you’re a “PEW” person (Perfect in Every Way), you can stop reading right now.  If not, consider the trash can. It’s not just about cursing or variations of God’s name used like punctuation. It’s about controlling the tongue so it’s an “instrument of His peace.”  Or, as Proverbs 12:18 says:

The tongue of the wise brings healing.