Today is Friday. It's trash day in our neighborhood. Lawn trash and household garbage get put by the road. Soon our friends at the sanitation department will whisk them away. Paper and plastic also sit in their bins awaiting a ride to the recycling center. As I sat at my computer yesterday, I realized there were other things that needed to be "trashed" -- certain conversations! Here's what happened: I deleted a file from my Google email and a note, highlighted in yellow, announced, "The conversation has been moved to the trash."
When I saw that, I thought about how God wants some of my conversations moved to the trash:
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:25-29 ESV)
False talk, cutting talk, arrogant talk, backbiting talk, gossiping talk . . . it's all corrupting talk. These conversations have no place in the life of the Christian. They need to be moved to the trash. Why is this? Because Jesus, the grace giver, wants his followers to give the same -- gracious talk that builds up and beautifies.
Today is trash day -- what conversation do you need to take to the trash? Be still before the Father. Ask him if there is any garbage that he wants to move to the road.