From Out of Our Mouths

The idea that we need to eat good food to be fit and healthy has been around since 1826 when Frenchman Brillat-Savarin wrote, “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.” And the well known expression “you are what you eat” was probably coined in 1942 in a book by Dr. Victor Lindlahr, a health food pioneer who believed that the food we eat controls our health.

Today, if you do a search on Amazon.com, you will find 63,502 books on dieting and 41,644 books on Health, Fitness and Dieting. The fact is, there is ample advice on the subject of what we put into our mouths, but what guidance is available on what should or should not come out of our mouths?

Initially, our parents, teachers and church leaders teach us that lies, curses, insults, gossip and obscenities, etc. should not come out of our mouths.

And New Testament scripture suggests that obscene, silly and vulgar talk is entirely out of place (Ephesians 5:4).

A recent publication distributed at a Lenten worship service at the Bluff Point United Methodist Church offers advice on what should come out of our mouths.  In that printout, it is suggested that during Lent we give thanks and praise to those who have helped us and offer words of encouragement to those who need our support.

Here are some additional suggestions for words to be spoken from our hearts and “out of our mouths:” words of admiration, best wishes for success, appeals for forgiveness, prayers for healing and blessings and expressions of love, hope and appreciation.

Make it a habit, and what comes out of our mouths will eventually be as important as what goes in.