An Example to Work On… April 30, 2010

As Mothers most of us when asked to examine our speech, immediately think of the times we have been impatient and harsh with our children. However, redemptive speech is so much more than controlling the anger we have towards our children. It starts with how we think and then, how we process those thoughts.

I recently read an article titled, “Watch Your Language”, from the Journal of Biblical Counseling that was written by E. Bradley Beevers. In it he provides a practical example for us to work on. Maybe you, like me, will be surprised at how often you have excused this type of speech:

“How can you start to recognize and repent of evil talk? Start with small steps. Let’s take a specific example to work on. Should Christians use the term “I’m bummed?” Being “bummed” is a neutered way of expressing sadness or depression. It probably could often be translated as lacking in hope and faith, or focusing on unpleasant situations rather than on God’s sovereign care, or grumbling. “I’m bummed” takes away any indication that there is a moral problem with this emotion. Most of us would be pretty surprised if a friend told us we should repent when we shared that we were “bummed out”! In the popular conception we don’t get bummed because there is something wrong with us. We just are. Something’s wrong with the situation; we’re responding normally. That goes for all of us when we talk to people who are “bummed.” We usually ask, “What happened?,” more than we ask, “Why are you handling what happened that way?”

I have often allowed myself to be “bummed out” for days without a thought that this is the open door for sin to take root in my heart! Let’s honestly examine our hearts and see where we open the door for sin to grow. Tomorrow we’ll continue with the next portion of this article!