The past few blogs have focused on healthy lifestyles. We have considered different ways to maintain a healthy Christian lifestyle. Most times, we tend to focus on ourselves so much that we miss the point that we can cause others to live unhealthy lives because of our words. Words are so powerful and every idle word has the potential to give life or cause pain. Many people are dealing with internal conflicts about their health and well-being. For some, they have tried all means possible to live healthy lifestyles but things are just not working out. These people need encouragement and support to pull through and not to give up. However, if we start making fun of them, we shoot arrows of despair at them, this could lead to discouragement or low self esteem. These effects can also cause unnecessary health issues.
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:6)
Not everyone is comfortable with unnecessary jokes about their looks. A person’s weight, appearance, demeanor etc. may be attributed to different things. Don’t be quick to call people ‘fat’, ‘big’, ‘ugly’, ‘tiny’, ‘weak’ etc. In fact, the recent cause of anorexia among teenage girls is mostly caused by some of these comments. Let us teach our children to speak words that will not hurt others. School children have committed suicide because their colleagues called them bad names. Imagine the pain such an idle word brought to the family. Paul in writing to the Church in Colossae admonished that, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6). Salt brings taste to food and this allusion is significant. Paul is not encouraging us to be man-pleasers. His advice is for us to use gracious words. Whatever you tell others, imagine it being told to you should you be in the position of that person.
Instead of offering pain through our words, let’s offer care and attention. Ask if there is anything you could do to help. Extend a helping hand not a hurtful word. Let’s be intentional about what comes out of our mouth. Before you speak, consider yourself in the position of that person. Many people have lived delimited lifestyles because of what others told them about their looks or appearance. Don’t stop people from chasing their dreams because you think they are not like you. As parents, we might be too concerned about our children that we may prevent them from taking part in certain games they love. Basketball, football, badminton, tennis, swimming etc. are all healthy practices. We should help our children to engage in these should they show interest. Never say, “you are too tiny to play basketball.” You could potentially cause them to have low self-esteem. If their size is related to eating patterns, encourage them to eat well and let them know that to be a good basketball player, they need to be physically strong.
Remember, “the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” (Matthew 15:18-19)
To read more of these, grab my book A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE: YOUR LIVING SACRIFICE here.
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