Tongue Control!

Control is a Noble Goal

By: Moira Brown

In my Grade 12 year I started working at a local radio station, and by age twenty was producing and hosting a daily TV show. One day I answered the phone to an abrupt — "If you say the word 'delightful' one more time, I'm going to get in my car, and drive up there, and..." I don't recall the rest of my mother's threat. She would have driven two hours to make her point! I wasn't scared or defensive, but grateful! I had no idea I was wearing out my favourite adjective!

Do you know how many words are listed in the Oxford Dictionary? 800,000! About 300,000 are technical terms, leaving us 10,000 commonly used words in the English language. So, why do we get stuck on words like "LIKE"... in like, all the wrong places, in like, meaningless repetition?

Maybe I've become overprotective of the English language — just like my Mom. I'm working on a speech problem however, that is much more serious.

56% of Canadians admit they swear— more than the British (51%) or the Americans (46%) according to a recent survey. I'm sure you are not part of this statistic, but let me gently ask — would you say any of these words?

"GOSH" or "GOLLY" — an altered pronunciation of GOD "GEE" or "GEEZ" — a euphemism or replacement for JESUS

The 7th of 10 Commandments says, "You shall not misuse the Name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His Name." (Exodus 20:7 NIV)

"Do not swear falsely by My Name and so profane the Name of your God. I am the Lord." (Leviticus 19:12) ("Honest to God"... ) How many times a day do you hear "Oh my God!" (OMG)? Is the person speaking (or singing) even thinking about God? What if He answered, "You called My Name?" Paul appeals to us: "Don't copy the behaviour and customs of this world." (Romans 12:2 NLT)

We have many other replacement words that are "tame curse words" or "Christian swearing." In John 3:11 the apostle writes, "Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good." (NIV) Listen to Jesus' warning in Matthew 12: 36, 37: "But I say to you that for EVERY IDLE (careless) WORD men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment. For by your WORDS you will be justified, and BY YOUR WORDS you will be condemned." GOD IS LISTENING!

Jesus is THE WORD. His very Name ennobles communication. He said, "The words that I speak to you they are spirit, and are life." (John 6:63) Do we reflect and honour by our speech, the One who indwells us?

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children," Ephesians 5:1 (NIV) highlights what is not proper for God's holy people: " ...obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place." (v.4) Paul encouraged Timothy, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but SET AN EXAMPLE for the believers, IN SPEECH, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."
(1 Timothy 4:12 NIV)

There are some words that have crept into common expression and the Oxford dictionary that are most unbecoming from the mouth of an ambassador of Jesus Christ, which I will not mention here.

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (Ephesians 4:29 NIV)

In his Rules for Holy Living Paul writes, "...now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behaviour, slander and dirty language." (Colossians 3:8 NLT) You are called to be a messenger of Christ's life and love. "Let your conversation be always full of grace seasoned with salt so that you may know how to answer everyone." (Colossians 4:6 NIV)

"Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God Himself were speaking through you." (1 Peter 4:11 NLT)

How do we retrain the tongue? When you hit your thumb with a hammer, simply say, "OW!" A 'swearing jar' in your home or office might be motivational, with a financial penalty for anyone who gets caught. Parents would wash children's mouths with soap in my day! "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly..." (Colossians 3:16) and He will do the washing. (Ephesians 5:26)

"What you say flows from what is in your heart," Jesus said, (Luke 6:45 NLT), so let's start with David's prayer in Psalm 19:14 (NIV): "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight O Lord."