For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45

Imagine filling a pot with water. Then you put the pot over a fire, put on the lid, and wait for it to boil. Now, only a fool or a character in a fairytale would expect to take the lid off and find that the water had turned itself into a hearty soup!

You and I are a bit like that pot of water – we shouldn’t expect to fill ourselves with one thing and magically produce something completely different.

Jesus explained, “from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). “Uh-oh,” some of us are thinking! What if the unpleasant things in my heart ended up coming out of my mouth?

Well, don’t panic. We actually have some control here. First, we can decide what to take in. If you are metaphorically ingesting toxic substances, begin to reach for more wholesome material. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Study encouragement from scripture and diminish voices in your life that lead to internal sickness.

Secondly, don’t hide from God because of shame. God already knows what is in your heart. Through prayer, you can own up to it and rid yourself of it, even if it is ugly. Ask God to lead you to sources that will fill your mind and heart with His love and truth so that those are the things that overflow from your heart onto your tongue. By God’s grace, it’s possible for what comes out of our mouths to nourish others—just like a delicious soup!

 

Resource reading: Luke 6:43-45