20,000 windows into our heart... every day!

How many words do you speak a day?

According to many studies, the average adult speaks between 7,000-20,000 words every day. The number varies according to our work situation (if we work around people or not), our gender (women tend to speak more words in a day than men), and our personality (extroverts usually speak more than introverts). If you were to add up all our talk time, we spend 18-180 minutes a day talking.

As an introvert myself, there are times I feel "talked out." Sometimes after being around people for a long time, Jamie and I get into the car and even though she is an extrovert and wants conversation, she says, "I know you're talked out right now and need to introvert for a while," which is an act of sacrificial love on her part!

However, a better question for us may be: How many meaningful words do you speak in the day (i.e. words used to communicate something important as opposed to filler words)? According to some of these same studies, the answer may be as little as 500-700 words.

It is often very hard to control our words -- both the amount and the quality.

Spiritually speaking, the closest organ to our heart is our tongue. Jesus is very clear that whatever comes out our mouth is a window to what's in our heart.

“Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
“The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a person ‘unclean.’”
~ Jesus, in Matthew 12:34 and 15:18

In fact, the book of Proverbs uses heart and tongue as synonyms for each other.

"The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value."
~ Proverbs 10:20

There is a link between our hearts and our words -- more than we care to realize. Our words expose out heart.

PAUSE and REFLECT: What does our speech reveal about our hearts and minds? Reflect on this past week and ask yourself: Have I spoken sharply? Have I spoken truthfully? Have I reflected the kindness of Jesus with my words?

Because of the close connection between words and heart, the solution to controlling our tongue does not begin with more willpower to control the tongue. It starts by looking at our heart.

But the point is not to change our speech in order to change our heart. That would be like changing the veneer on a table – the core remains the same. The point also is not to change our heart – for we cannot cleanse and change our own hearts. The point is to allow God to change our heart, and then our tongue will reflect the change that has taken place.

So in order to gain wisdom and holiness in our speech, we must invite God to scour our heart. It’s painful, it’s often costly, and it’s not a lot of fun, but it's always good and it's the only way to grow into men and women of character, integrity, and wisdom.

Perhaps you would like to offer God that invitation right now.

Today, may our 7,000-20,000 words offer a true reflection of God's work in us.

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