A thought by Nelson Searcy from his book, Tongue Pierced: How the Words You Speak Transform the Life You Live (p. 35). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
They really do.
Nelson says, “There’s no getting around the Bible’s primary assertion that there is a direct correlation between the things you say and the state of your heart. If your heart is filled with bitterness or impurity, you are going to speak bitter and impure words. If your heart is full of love, you are going to speak encouraging, empowering words. Your words reveal what lies deep inside you, whether you want them to or not.”
He goes on, “When I was growing up, my family owned a small duplex property near our home. We rented it out on an annual basis. I have vivid memories of going with my mother to clean up and refurbish that duplex after each tenant moved out, in preparation for the next one to move in. The thing I remember most about the property was the apple tree in the front yard. As a kid, I loved jumping up and picking the apples. The only problem was that the tree didn’t produce very good apples. Every once in a while, I would get a few that were okay to eat, but for the most part, they were small, hard, and sour.
“I’m no apple tree arborist, but I know enough to know why those apples were no good—the tree wasn’t healthy. Whether the problem was in the soil or in the roots of the tree itself, I have no idea. But I do know that my little apple tree was only capable of producing fruit consistent with its core level of well-being. No matter how much I wished the tree would give me deliciously plump, juicy apples, it simply didn’t have what it needed to produce them. Even though I didn’t know it at the time, the principle of organic consistency was at work here. Whatever seed and soil a fruit springs from will determine the quality of that fruit.
Nelson then says, “The same principle applies to your words. Thanks to the principle of organic consistency, you will never be successful using your words to positively impact your own life and the lives of others simply by trying to edit what comes out of your mouth. You have to get to the root of your word problems—the condition of your heart. Superficial techniques and quick fixes will only get you so far. To really change your life by changing your words, it’s essential to examine the source of your speech habits.
So how is your heart? Would you really examine it because it is the source of your words? Would you?
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