Simple Speech
“All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
Matthew 5:37
I like to think I am an honest person; I am ordained after all! I believe honesty is important and it’s a value I’ve held to over the years in some quite challenging circumstances. It has led me into conflict in which I didn’t much want to engage and yet, it’s also brought integrity as my beliefs, speech and actions have been brought into greater alignment.
Yet, even though I am a big fan of honesty and truthfulness, I, again and again, find myself confronted with this truth: I am also a liar.
Now, don’t hear me wrong! There are many ways in which I am truthful, but one of the many things God is teaching me is that the depths of my self-deception go way deeper than I realize. Learning to simply say what I mean and not cling to oaths, promises, explanations or rationalizations can be a challenge. We so often use these to assure us of the outcome we want and the goal we hope to achieve.
Yet, Jesus says “all you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No.” Why? Because we are called not to trust in our words that seek to control and manipulate others, but in God Himself. We are called to trust in Him for the outcome, to give up the power that we might wield through how we use our words.
Today, I invite you to invite God into your speech. Notice how you respond with different people. your impulses to speak and fill in silence, your impulses to be quiet and hold back pertinent truth. Let God by His Spirit show you a more excellent way of speech that isn’t compelled by our sinful impulses, but is grounded in love and trusting in His care for you this day and every day; speech that simply and gently says what is and leaves the rest to Him.
