Unwholesome

 

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) 

          Who’s up for a challenge? Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths… Un-whole-some. “Not characterized by or conducive to health or moral well-being:” That which is not tending to make whole, complete, healed, well. For some, this means to stop dropping f-bombs, or saying “damn.” Maybe to avoid the 7 words that used to be banned on TV. But as I’ve said before, while reducing the negatives is a good thing, it only brings us toward zero. We should get rid of unwholesome talk, but even better is to add wholesome talk.

          I’ve already written about what a big challenge this is being to me. Do I believe what I claim to believe? Does everything work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose? If so, why are we complaining about our circumstances. Even COVID-19 is meant for good for those described. Can we praise Him for COVID-19?

          There’s so much of Scripture that praises God and gives thanks to Him. So why isn’t my blog filled with the sort of things my friend shares – positive, uplifting, praising things? And, I’ll gladly grant that God can work miracles. He could wake us up tomorrow with such a positive outlook. He could.

          But I’m going to suggest that there is a place for “negativity” within wholesome speech. If you’re making a mistake, the quickest way to stop making a mistake involves recognizing that it is a mistake and choosing to go another way.  Scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. (II Timothy 3:16.) If we are to teach, rebuke, correct, and train in righteousness and let no unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, then teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness must in included within wholesome talk.

          So, let’s go back to the definition. Unwholesome talk is not characterized by or conducive to health or moral well-being. In other words, unwholesome talk separates the speaker, and possibly the hearer, from what is healthy and moral. In order to not let unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, we need to learn what is wholesome, and what is unwholesome. We need to wisely reject what is unwholesome, knowing and being able to express why it is unwholesome. Some of us need to work on some of that. Others of us are pretty good at “Oh, that’s bad.” We might even be able to tell why it’s bad, but we’re stuck on that being bad and why it’s bad. We don’t really have an answer to what is good or why it is good. If we do, there’s the questions of whether we can explain it, or live it. It’s much easier to call those who disagree with you names, and trash talk them.

          All of that leads me to an answer to a simple question. For years, when people asked “How are you?” my answer was something along the lines of “Here,” or “Alive.” After I realized that I gave that sort of answer no matter how I actually felt, I decided to answer “Wonderful,” or “Wonderfully” depending on the wording of the question. People do doubletakes, but if you’re going to answer the same way no matter how you are, why not answer wholesomely?

          It also all leads to the important question of how to change so that what comes out of our mouths is wholesome. Pick an area and work on it. Learn to defend what you believe as being positive, good, and even better than what you don’t believe. Or – even better – start with what comes out of your mouth to God. Pay attention. Make conscious decisions. Choose what is characterized by and conducive to health and morality. This won't make you look or sound like you're living in the 1950s. It will make you look and sound heathy.