Just what is “unwholesome talk”? I think it’s the garbage that spews from our mouths because of the garbage that we have put into our minds.

Unwholesome talk is the opposite of helpful talk. What is helpful gives encouragement and is spoken in love. Unwholesome talk tears others down, vindictively and unthinkingly wounding another person with words that cannot be unspoken.

Would you stand in your kitchen and throw the potato peels at someone because you are frustrated with them? Neither should you stand there and “give them a piece of your mind.” They don’t need it or want it. What people will always need is a soft answer, a smile and a word of genuine kindness and encouragement.

The next time you start to spout off without thinking about the harm you are doing, picture yourself throwing garbage at the person. Your words matter, more than you know. And they will go with that person on their life journey for many days, weeks, months and even years. Words, like the stink of garbage, cannot be recalled, so be careful to say the words that build rather than destroy.