Slimed

Slimed!

Up until last week, much of the ground beef sold in these United States included an ingredient called, "finely textured lean beef." It is made from the trimmings leftover after the more readily accessible cuts are removed. A nutritionist concerned about the process used to produce it nicknamed it 'pink slime' and the story went viral on the Internet, fanned by breathless reporting on ABC News! When it's called "finely textured lean beef," I might eat it. I find "pink slime" disgusting. Now that the hysteria has died down, we see that the pejorative name is not quite deserved. But, it's too late for the 200 Americans out of job and a company that had to shut down production yesterday.  

My point is not to argue for or against this product. I want to point out the power of words.

Ever slimed anyone?

Ever been slimed?

With a little shift in tone or choice of adjectives we can turn a suspicion into an accusation. A reputation built over a lifetime can be destroyed overnight. A friendship can be ripped apart with just a phrase. A church can be sent into division with a couple of half-truths. Slimed!  

I wonder what kind of crisis inspired James, pastor of First Church in Jerusalem to write this? "A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything-or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell." (The Message)

Our words are invested with great power for good, too. Listen to a loving mother murmur to her child and the words are like a caress, soothing. Listen to a leader with vision inspire, building a future for those who hear him with nothing but his words. Remember the encouragement that came your way at just the right moment that kept you going when you felt like quitting? The Proverb tells us that such words are like beautiful jewelry, "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." Proverbs 25:11 (NIV)  

Let's not settle for simply being 'nice' in our speech. As Christian disciple, the Spirit will fill us up. When His life is shaping our life, the overflow of our words will be a 'river of living water!' "Lord, make my words as refreshing as a clear mountain stream!" Even the hard truth can be healing if spoken with evident love.

Slimy words are full of self-interest, gossip, half-truths, innuendo, and death. Words that give life are full of truth, love, and hope. So this practical challenge is given to us, "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

So this is the word from the Word, a prayer for today. "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14 (NIV)